


eleutheromania

by rachelarcher



Category: Supernatural, The Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: F/F, F/M, M/M, adam gets saved, amara gets a cage, carl is one of the marked, child!adam, child!lucifer, chuck gets a what!, lucifer isnt a dick
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-28
Updated: 2016-05-28
Packaged: 2018-07-10 16:42:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 45,461
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6996250
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rachelarcher/pseuds/rachelarcher
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Just a rewrite, I know it says the Walking Dead - but the Grimes Crew is just mentioned in this first part, after this I am going to create Men of Letter's snapshots, where each character remembers a hunt of writes down interesting facts about something they hunted. The Walking Dead family will be more prominate there, and maybe on one of the after!endverse trips to the mouse's house.</p>
            </blockquote>





	eleutheromania

**Author's Note:**

> So, I know that you all probably will be disappointed at the amount of not in this the Grimes clan is. Never fear my lovelys, the Snapshots that follow will have each on of the Grimes crew in it, either as Hunters or Men of Letters or as Hunter Helpers. Bare with me, I imagine this will be more of an undertaking than I am ready for. Any ideas or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. I hope you like. :)
> 
> No beta, I could use one, anyone interested?

eleutheromania - an intense and irresistible desire for freedom  
\---  
Dean had not long risen from the dead, he and Castiel were just starting to work on being friends, and Bobby was relying more and more on him and Sam for their hunting skills. Sam was still sneaking around, something Dean was not pleased with, not at all. And as much as Dean had hoped it had nothing to do with Ruby, he didn’t for a second believe he was that lucky.  
In fact they would not be in their current situation if Sam had not once again snuck out of their hotel room in the interest of seeing Ruby. They were hunting a group of Fae, Dean was not sure if they were plain fairies or something more sinister, but either way, they hunted at night, anyone who got too close to a forest in Western Kentucky referred to as the Forbidden Forest, it lay right outside of a recreational area referred to as Land Between the Lakes, was taken.  
The only lead they had thus far in the case, and it was a slim one, was a half fairy that Bobby knew, who lived in the general area. She had once been more human that fairy, and had helped Bobby in the early days when he first started hunting, she had even helped their father some if Dean understood the notes in the journal correctly. But, said fairy was different, even John Winchester had been stumped by her. First and foremost she was a hunter, although she dwelled in the forest most of the time, cases that Bobby deemed to difficult for humans, she would take, leave her hidden safety and embark into the world. They had not met with her, she was hard to find.  
When Sam straight up disappeared, Dean followed him. Fully pissed off at this point, when he also saw Ruby, stupid demon bitch, hovering close to Sam, her arms around his middle. They looked like they were practicing something. That’s when Dean saw two things that pissed him off, first - Sam drank some of Ruby’s blood, second… something that looked like a tree and a demon drug Sam into the forest, with Ruby screaming at it. Ruby disappeared the next second, and Dean in a panic summoned the Fairy Princess Anastasia.  
-/-  
Tate pushed a stray hair from her face. Her eyes glimmering. She wrapped her arms around her chest, and looked up at Dean. “You're serious right now?” She snarled. The simple pea coat she had on and her feet bare made Dean think that she had to be freezing as the snow started to flutter around them.  
Dean looked down at the small girl, she looked barely fourteen, but there was something different, something sharp and painfully monster like under the surface. She stood roughly four foot six, she looked like a child, innocent and doe eyed, but he knew better. “I need help, and… you're the only thing for miles that fits the bill.”  
Her green eyes raked over him, she didn’t like being called a thing. “You want me to enter the cursed forest, and drag your brother from it… when the full blooded fae wanna make him participate in their hunt…”  
“Tate, you're all I got, Bobby says if you do this, your debt to him is paid, in full, and then some.” Dean tried, reaching out to rest his hand on her shoulder, his palm looked rather large against her shoulder.  
“Bobby Singer, hm.” She grumbled, shaking his hand off, and turning sharply away from him and moving towards the woods. She dropped the pea coat, her body naked for a moment before him. Her whole body shimmered for a minute, and Dean caught a glimpse of her true self.  
Dean sucked in a breath, hard. Her nose was rounded, cute, and slightly turned up. Her lips were a perfect pink. Her hair was natural red, bright, and fell past her butt. Her face itself caught his attention, from her cheek bones up, green and brown patterns rose, from her neck down her chest brown and green veins ran. Over her shoulders and down to her wrist swirling patterns of deep green and dark brown, to her middle fingers, which ended in almost black hues. Her ears were elongated and tilted up. Her hip bones looked sharp, and similar leaf like markings danced up them. Her chest was covered in leaves, tight around her, hanging low on her hips a deep green skirt, that ended mid thigh, where it ended the swirls of brown and green reformed, working their way down to her feet, which were solid dark green.  
The most breathtaking part of her, however, was her wings. Unlike what he knew angel wings looked like, hers almost appeared to be made of bark, with leaves and vines falling from them. He knew the stories about the creature, about Tate. How she was the creation of an experiment demons conducted in the early 900’s. He knew that Tate had a sister, who was part vampire. Or at least that was the story. He had no clue how exactly she had came into the debt of Bobby Singer, but at this moment it was his victory. His silent win, because as always his little Sammy was trapped.  
“Dean.” Cas’s voice drew him away from his thoughts.  
“Hey Cas.” Dean shivered in the cold, Castiel moved next to him, shoulder to shoulder. “Know anything about Fea?” Dean paused sharply when Cas lit a small fire in front of them, in hopes of keeping them both warm.  
“They are the fallen siblings of angels, trapped on earth when the first war raged.” Cas responded matter-of-factly.  
“Ah, so a half one… would be as powerful as…” Dean asked, eyebrows raised.  
“Me or any other non-archangel.” Cas muttered.  
“So, she can save him from the hunt?” Dean asked.  
“I don’t know.” Cas responded honestly.  
As the snow fell around them, both watched where she entered the forest, yips and cries for help could be heard for hours. What seemed like eternity passed, as the sun started to rise. Dean looked around the clearing, his heart thundering in his chest.  
“I fetched your brother.” Both Cas and Dean turned around, to see Tate, her wings frayed and the wooden brambles at the top snapped. Sam was in her arms, as she hovered above the ground. Only enough strength left to keep Sam’s feet from dragging. “Now you do me a favor.”  
“Anything.” Dean answered.  
“Take me with you, I am no longer welcome here.” Her body convulsed and she dropped hard, slamming into Sam as she did. Cas scooped her body up, amazed at how heavy the barley eighty pound creature felt. He held her form against his trench coat, his eyes checking her over. Her wings were damaged, but more importantly two notches had been etched into her pointed ears.  
Dean had pulled Sam up, and was shouldering his weight. “The Fae, the ones we were hunting, wouldn’t come out in daylight. So we should be good.”  
Cas nodded, following behind Dean as he moved them back towards baby. “I will ride home with you.” He said suddenly. “I will help you with your new pet.”  
“She isn’t a pet.” Dean grumbled.  
“Dean, you offered her safety, she will give you more loyalty than a german shepard.” Cas grumbled, sliding the girl into the backseat, the following her. Dean shouldered Sam into the passenger seat, then closed the door. The ride back to Sioux Fall’s was quiet, only the radio and his thoughts. Briefly Dean wondered where Cas had learned about loyalty, he wanted to ask if there were dogs in heaven, but then again he didn’t particularly care to know anything more than he already did about the place that had decided he and his brother would be vessels for Lucifer and Michael.  
-/-  
“So this is… what she looks like as a human.” Cas muttered, brushing some of the red tangled mess from her face. “Looks like a child.”  
“Her eyes are still weird, she can’t change them.” Dean grumbled. “They are like Riddick’s eyes, but pale green and more of a infinity symbol than an actual circle.” Dean knew Cas wouldn’t get the Riddick references but there was a good chance Bobby and Sam would.  
“Right… taking her from the forest, not smart.” Bobby rumbled, his face contorted.  
“She asked us to.” Cas responded, then the light fluttering of wings, and he was gone. Dean muttered something along the lines of bye then, and turned his attention back towards Bobby.  
“Cas doesn’t know if she can be fixed.” Sam muttered.  
“Cas isn’t a doctor.” Dean countered.  
“He felt her soul, though.” Bobby raised his eyebrows, looking at Sam.  
“And?” Bobby snapped.  
“It’s fine.” Dean growled.  
Both Sam and Dean left to work a case, to hunt, leaving Bobby with a floating comatose half fairy in his panic room. Bobby checked on her frequently, hoping she would wake up, two weeks passed, then one day she wasn’t in the room. Instead, she was in the kitchen, sitting on the counter, crisscross applesauce, her green eyes shimmering, and her red locks tied up in two messy buns on her head. She looked almost human, like a pre-teen, but small for her age.  
“Bobby Singer.” She hummed.  
“Nice to see you in the flesh, again.” He grumbled, corners of his mouth upturned in a smile.  
“Yea, well, I wish it wasn’t under these circumstances.” She muttered. “You have no healthy food in this damn house, you know that.”  
“Right, because I was supposed to know they were bringing you back with them.” He grumped.  
“Look, Bobby, seeing as I am no longer welcome among my family because I did something for yours, the least you can do is have some damn apples and corn.” She grumbled. “Take me into town, and let me shop.”  
“How much is this going to cost me?” Bobby grumbled.  
“Dunno, probably more than you’d spend on clothes.” She snarked. She soon found out that both boys were going to be working cases and would therefore be gone most of the time. Tate settled into Bobby’s with an ease that normally would have made him worry.  
Bobby, however, enjoyed having a second set of eyes to read as they searched for different things, as they poured over books looking for answers as hunters from all over called in and asked for help with certain things.  
-/-  
Right before Halloween, Dean and Sam returned to Bobby’s to take a couple days off, and to search for another case. Baby had a strange sound coming from under her hood, and Dean needed a place to work on her where he had everything he needed, and no doubt that was Bobby’s. Sioux Falls was unnaturally warm that fall, and Tate had taken to swimming almost every day.  
Dean and Bobby had decided he needed a couple days off. Dean was working on baby, and Bobby was working the phones for several hunters that weekend. Tate had made lunch for everyone, and had cornered Bobby about the location of a creek behind his house, apparently it was part of the reason Bobby’s wife had loved the house so much in the first place, so as Sam sat staring into space he figured that was where Tate had disappeared to. “Why don’t you go after her?” Bobby asked, casting the brooding young man an interesting look. Sam was dwelling once more on the fact that everyone close to them just seemed to… die.  
“I … why?” Sam asked.  
“Cause you idjit, she’s swimming and doing something other than sulking around my house. Deans workin, I’m workin, you're just mopin, no get outta here!” Bobby tossed a book in his direction.  
Sam scrambled out of the house, past the cars scattered here and there, and followed the trail that led to the creek in question. It was pretty hot, he wiped his brow with his sleeve, and surveyed the swollen creek for Tate, his eyes landed on her naked form, laying face down on a rock in the middle of the steady currents.  
Her wings were not out, but her body was on display, for the first time since the night in the forbidden forest, he saw the vines and lines that seemed to run across her skin, as if painted there by God himself, leaves and bark is what he thought of first, the way they unfurled, curly around her muscles made him think more of ivy. “Sammy.” Her voice broke through his thoughts.  
His heart pounded loud in his ears for a moment, then she smiled at him, her teeth sharper than he thought they should be, and her green eyes glistening as the water sparkled in them. “Can I join you?” He asked after a long moment.  
Her red hair was long enough it split from her shoulders off the rock she had perched on and into the flowing water, as she nodded it moved, then she pushed up with her shoulders, she was not completely bare, he realized, a thin green bikini top and bottom accented her frame, it was of the string variety and Dean would have probably gawked at her. She sent him a teasing smile and said, “It’s deeper than it looks, I was napping, but heard you storming through the forest.”  
Sam blushed, he never had been good at sneaking up on people. He shimmied down to his boxers, then trailed into the water after her, it rose to his hips, pushing against him. She had not been kidding, it was pretty deep. Soon the current pushed at his shoulders, and he had to laugh, seeing her sitting on the edge of the rock, her legs in the water, arms open and inviting.  
When he reached her, he settled between her knees. He thought for a moment that was too intimate, and his mind instantly seemed to picture the face Jessica would have made if she could see him. Or for that matter, the way Ruby would snark at him if she knew he was more than happy to rest his head against someone else's chest for a moment.  
“Tell me about the demon blood, Sam, I smell it on you.” She ordered.  
Sam growled, low and uneasy. “It helps me be a better hunter.”  
“Why do you need to be better? Dean and you are already the best.” She responded.  
“It… it's the only way I can right what's wrong, Lilith that’s my fault, and she needs to be taken out.” Sam offered.  
“So, sleeping with Ruby helps how?” She asked, head tilted to the side.  
“You know about that, huh.” Sam whispered, letting his arms lean against her thighs.  
“Smell that too, dear.” She muttered to his hair, resting against him.  
“No, it doesn’t help… I was lonely, Tate, and she… she sort of made that better.” He offered.  
“Now she has clouded your judgement.” Tate whispered, running fingers through his hair.  
“Huh?” Now Sam was confused, he had no clue what the fairy was talking about.  
“Drinking the blood isn’t right, you know that.” Tate responded, yanking at his hair, pulling his head from her heart, so he would look at her. She crashed her lips on to his, electricity dancing through it, when she pulled back, Sam’s eyes fluttered open, to see her smiling at him.  
“I know.” He whispered, knotting his own hands in her hair, and dragging her back in to kiss again. She was a mystery to him, he knew that she didn’t interact much with Dean other than to tease him, or call him something mean. She worked alongside Bobby much the way a daughter would.  
Bobby had even started kicking around the idea that she would make a great daughter, and was thinking about legally adopting her. She looked like a child anyway. When Sam drew back from her this time, it was her narrowed eyes, that made him pause, she looked at him like she was assessing the situation. “Ruby can’t give you the answer, I think you know that, and I think we both know that she is destroying you and Dean, and what you mean to each other.”  
With a crack of air, Tate was gone, leaving Sam standing in the creek by himself. He frowned, and dunked his head under the water, irritated. Women were confusing beast to begin with, add a little extra something like demon blood or fairy blood and then they were like rubik's cubes on steroids.  
For the next three days they met at the rock. Simple kisses and sweet smiles. They didn't talk much, they both knew he was at an impasse. Finally she said calmly, “Don't fall in love with me, Sammy I’ll only destroy you. I'll show you magical places, I'll show you a world you've never seen. Ill kiss you in all the beautiful places, so you will never be able to return to them without tasting me like blood in your mouth. I will completely ruin you in the most beautiful way. Then when I leave, because there is no if, you will understand completely why the most destructive storms have the most beautiful names. Watch yourself, Sammy.” Then she kissed him again, jarring his body before disappearing.  
The following morning they headed towards a small town, where a witch was sacrificing people, Castiel seemed to think she was trying to summon Samhain, and that in doing so would break one of the seals they were hoping to keep secure so Lucifer could not rise.  
-/-  
The job was an easy enough hunt. Tate, Dean, and Sam should have been in and out easy. The spirit was haunting a particular Plantation outside of Nashville. The problem was the costume party being housed in the rather large long forgotten plantation house. Super heroes and villains. Sam was more than a bit irritated that Dean was going to finally get to dress up as Batman. Tate was obviously the best poison ivy they could have imagined. All she had to do was slip on red high heels. Her messy red locks tied up in two buns atop her head. Wings tucked away, but in full multicolored fairy display. Sam drew the unfortunate short stick. He was dressed like the joker. Cas, much to everyone's amusement, Tate dressed up as Bane.  
“Tate you two stay down here OK?” Sam asked as he and Dean separated from the party goers to look for clues.  
She just sighed, then led Castiel out onto the dance floor, where she managed to spin them around and make it look like Castiel was leading. “Cas, you know Dean loves you right?” She asked, letting Cas’s eyes wonder around the colorful lights.  
“Yes, so do you, and Sam.” Cas responded, his voice neutral.  
“No, Cas. Dean loves you. He loves you like Sammy loves me. Like the forever kiss under the stars kind.” She responded, Cas looked ready to ask a question or three when the lights in the whole house flickered and Tate bowed her head. Cas watched as she slipped off her heels, and motioned him to follow her.  
They knew who they we're hunting. The man of the house, during the civil war he had helped run a part of the underground railroad. He was killed by a slave owner. Since then the old man, Cyrus Smith, had wandered the halls of the house. Whisking visitors away to the underground railroad opening, and pushing them in.  
They had heard a couple stories from teenagers who had gotten away. It was believed that the tunnel itself had long ago caved in, so those shut in by the spirit died slowly. Since the house itself had been in shambles until about six months ago, the spirit had only preyed on visitors sporadically, and if you entered through the akde door of the kitchen.  
Tate had Castiel's hand in hers as she lead them down the spiraling staircase, her wings free from her skin in case they needed to make a get away. Tate stilled and crouched down, dragging Castiel with her, as she saw the spirit dragging Sam's prone form. Dean was across the room, body clearly slammed against the wall.  
Both boys guns were discarded. Cas felt more than heard what she wanted him to do. They vaguely knew the spirit was buried on the property. Tate grabbed the shovel that laid to the side, then disappeared. Cas darted forward, distraction the ghost. After Tate salted and burned the bones they helped the Winchester's from the house, joking about how the boys ever lived without their guardian angel and fairy princess.  
-/-  
She remained with Bobby for most of the winter, then she was gone, just gone. Sam and Dean both looked for her, even Bobby did. Cas seemed to know something, but he wasn’t giving her secret up. Wherever she was, she was gone. Sam had liked being around her, but then… Life had become exceedingly hard for him, and it was breaking him. Sam missed her, missed all of her being. Bobby missed her little feet prancing around the house.Each day a new trial seemed to shine through. He had been drinking the demon blood more frequently, and that was causing a problem for him and Dean. Anything Ruby related, actually.  
-/-  
Seeing Sam in the panic room angered Tate, and she exploded that Bobby had summoned her to keep a watchful eye on Sam. “We will be back, but Dean being here isn’t healthy.”  
Dean and Bobby left to work on a case, and for the first time in a long time Castiel and Tate agreed on something. When he appeared, Tate frowned. “I know you have orders to let him out, I pick up angel radio, some.” Tate told him.  
Castiel frowned at her, for a moment wondering how she could pick up angel radio. “Tate, we will have to make you look incapacitated then.”  
“No, you don’t. I am going to help Sam get back to Ruby.” Tate muttered low under her breath.  
Sam stumbled out of the panic room, and into Tate’s arms. With a flick of her wings, they spiraled out of the building. Tate touched down not far from where she had last scented Ruby. The demon was waiting, pacing in the hotel room she had secured. It was a penthouse, and more flashy than the Winchesters normally called for.  
Just to be safe, Tate had also rented a room three hours south of them, under an alias that Sam used frequently. She and Ruby didn’t speak only nodded at each other, Tate then made it back to Bobby’s, stole one of the cars from his lot, and raced to the hotel room south of Bobby’s.  
Dean was furious when he found her, sitting alone on the bed, watching television. If he didn’t know any better he would have sworn he saw a brief glint of the trickster when he entered the room, but he seriously doubted Tate would have anything to do with the slimy pagan God.  
“He’s gone, Gabrielle.” She whispered once Dean left, a cloud of dust and curse words almost suspended in air between the hotel room and the parking lot.  
“Thank god, anyway, came to tell you something, sweetie pie.” He danced around Tate.  
“And what is that?” She asked, head cocked to one side.  
“You know I plan on fucking with the Winchesters, at least every now and then, remind them that they have yet to kill me, right?” He asked, dancing around her room.  
“Right.”  
“Well, I need a special fairy concoction, one that will make me appear dead, wings burned black on the floor and all.” He muttered.  
“Why?”  
“Trust me when I say I am going to need it.” Gabriel surveyed the young woman for a moment longer, then watched her nod her head. “See you in a week, darling.”  
He was gone and she was alone, so she headed back to Bobby’s fully aware he was going to have some pretty hard words for her when she got there. “I didn’t release him.” Was the only thing she said, and Bobby seemed to believe her.  
-/-  
The next time Tate saw the Winchesters, it was because Bobby had stabbed himself, in an attempt to free himself from the demon that was possessing him. Tate arrived after learning that Castiel could not heal Bobby.  
Her mind danced briefly over the fact that her deal with Gabriel had opened up her ability to save Bobby. She entered the hospital room, her eyes alive with interest. “I can heal you, but it won't be instantaneous.” She offered.  
Dean and Sam both looked at her, eyes suspicious. “Where have you been?” Dean snarled.  
“Working with some friends, you know I do know other people, correct?” She asked, eyebrow raised, mocking.  
“Who?” Castiel asked, his form in the corner looked more alarmed than anything.  
“Some of your older brothers, who have been on Earth for a long time.” She snapped. “Now, am I doing this or not?” She snarled, wiggling her eyebrows. “If I am, it’ll be a month before you can walk… but you will walk again.”  
“Do it.” Sam and Bobby ordered at the same time.  
“Are you sure?” She asked, stepping closer to Bobby.  
“Do it.” Bobby growled. “Castiel over there, he’s useless right now.”  
-/-  
Next they faced War, by themselves. Tate remained at home with Bobby. Paralyzed for the most part, she was his legs around the old house, constantly on the move for him. She knew that the boys no longer trusted each other, and that worried her, but she also knew that without a doubt, things were changing and the apocalypse was coming.  
She was intrusted by Sam to keep the ring that War had been wearing, she found a leather cord, and enchanted it to hide its true powers, and wore the ring around her neck, more than relieved that they had came away mostly unscared. Dean called to check in, saying Sam had quit, because they could no longer trust him on the job.  
-/-  
He knew leaving Dean had been the right choice. He couldn't be trusted, and his brother was on a mission from God. Hunched down in the front seat of the truck he'd managed to hitch a ride from he frowned. He looked at the number sprawled out on his hand. Bobby had told him where to find Tate. At first, Tate stayed up at night, watching over him. It was a rough first couple of days. He didn’t want to hunt anymore, and she wasn’t going to make him. They fell into an easy routine, burning all his aliases, he got a job cooking at a diner.  
Tate didn’t push him to do anything, actually, she more or less accepted whatever he wanted to do that day. Instead, she would listen to his day to day things, just let him be his own person. He took on the name Keith, and Tate remained herself. He enjoyed her company, enjoyed watching her cook to be honest. The only woman who had ever cooked for him was Jessica, and he had gotten her killed in the end. Sam came home from the restaurant, slightly irritated. “What’s wrong Sammy?”  
Her voice was fluid, and easy. Calm. He shrugged, following her voice into the bathroom. “What’s this?” He looked at the bathtub full with water and bubbles.  
“For you to take a bath, love.” She laughed. He looked down at her, eyebrows raised. She was four six, and looking very small in that moment. He could honestly lift her with one hand. She had her wings tucked under her skin, a trick Fea could do but not angels.  
“Tate… you're serious.” Sam chuckled, her hands were already tugging on his belt.  
“You're much too… serious these days.” She laughed. Already working his clothes off his frame. She pushed him roughly into the water, laughing as he splashed water out onto her and the floor. Then she was stripping her own clothes off, diving into the large whirlpool with him.  
Sam chuckled, as she climbed on to his lap, straddling his thighs. “I…” Sam stopped off, when she kissed his jaw line.  
“I can smell that Lindsey girl from the bar on you.” She continued kissing his jawbone, nuzzling into his smell.  
“Make you jealous?” Sam laughed, letting her settle against him.  
“Don’t sound like Dean, you’ll ruin the moment.” She joked.  
“What are we doing?” Sam asked, eyebrows raised.  
“Whatever you need, to feel better.” She purred.  
“Why me, Tate, I know you are a virgin. The whole world of hunters know that.” Sam laughed.  
“Right, but... “ She smiled. “I like you Sam, and I can purify you, but… that’s the only way.” He looked confused. “I have to give you my innocents so you can be… without want, for the blood. But you didn’t know that, did you?” She laughed. “No one told you about the fae laws…”  
Sam shook his head no, right as her lips crashed down on his, knotting her hands into his hair. Kissing her was like pure electricity, completely and hopeless. The kind of electricity that made him wonder what kissing a pure fairy would be like. She moved his head where she liked it, her small frame much to tiny to do anything more than kiss at him at the current angle.  
-/-  
He grunted as he started to wake up, he could feel her wound around him, clinging to him as she rested. Maybe it was because of their nighttime festivities, but she didn’t look as much of a child anymore. Her red hair was a mess, a splash across his chest. Even Sam could see as she slept how the years had worn on her. Sam watched her sleep for a moment, dreams of Jessica had plagued him lately.  
Tate wiggled around, pressing her face into his ribs, and nipping at him. He groaned, but laughed at her all the same. Then she was up and moving. Cooking breakfast for him, wearing one of his plaid shirts, buttoned up enough to cover her, it fell almost to her knees, sleeves rolled up, and shoulders too wide for her frame.  
He drifted back to sleep, realizing it was close to four in the morning. He gasped awake, instantly reaching for his phone. Tate was beside him in an instant. “Lucifer… Dean, he’s been coming to me in my dreams.” Sam whimpered into the phone.  
“I’ll fetch you a car.” Tate muttered under her breath, already aware that Dean would be more than happy to accept Sam back, once Dean was shown the past. Something Cas had warned her might happen. When she returned Sam had his head in his hands. She padded to him, letting him press his face into her ribs, silent low sobs echoing the hotel room. “He’ll come around, love.” She ran her fingers through his hair, comforting him.  
“Are you sure?” Sam asked finally, his mind amazed that her tiny frame could support his, he tried to detangle himself from her, but only succeeded in her clinging tighter to him.  
“Give him a couple hours, love.” She pressed a kiss to his temple, then detangled them. “You have work to do, right?”  
“Tate, last night, hunters came into the bar. They were after some demons, those demons told them the truth about me. The reason you smelled Lindsey is because I saved her.” Sam’s voice warbled and cracked.  
“I kinda figured, Sam.” She brought him his breakfast, and climbed back up the bed, sinking into the pillows. “Cas stopped by last night.”  
“What?” Sam almost roared, fear and confusion on his face. Castiel had warned Dean in the first place about his relationship with Ruby and what drinking the demon blood would lead to.  
“He is my older brother, sort of. At least my blood remembers Cas. Remembers Cas being a savior, and hero, loved.” She muttered. “He needed some of my blood, so I gave it to him. He had no clue, darling, you were here.”  
“Ah, good.” Sam started eating the offered omelet, and drinking the orange juice. “Tate, why me?”  
“Why you what?” She asked, cautiously.  
“Why sleep with me.” He asked, not looking up from his plate.  
“Ah, well don’t think it was about taking one for the team. I happen to like you. A lot, and we sort of bonded, you know. The night in the forest.” She muttered.  
“The night you betrayed your entire family to save me?” Sam still felt guilty about that.  
“Yeah, you know… Dean offered to let me walk, and not save you. But I knew, just like now, that I had to. You and your brother are heroes, and every now and then even the monsters can save the heroes.” She kissed his forehead, then stretched out on the bed.  
“Riiight.” Sam laughed.  
“One thing, though, Sam, Fae mate for life. I won’t be able to mate with anyone but you until the day you die.” Tate explained. “Because your not Fae it won’t affect you.”  
“Oh.” Sam was quiet for a few minutes. “What’s your full name, Tate?”  
“Anastasia… Anastasia Dane.” She offered. “Been using the name Tate for so long I had to think about that one. Tate Singer is my current go to.”  
-/-  
Leaving Tate had taken a lot of energy on Sam’s behalf. He longed to remain blissfully ignorant in the hotel room, where he had discovered some part of him was desperately attracted to the little fairy, who had sacrificed something so pure, for him. She had warned him that a strong enough non-human could probably pull the addiction back out of him, but that it should keep him in check, for a while.  
They headed first to Canton, Ohio, where they faced a demi-god. Apparently with the apocalypse approaching, every monster, god, and nasty thing in the world was ready to take over for themselves. They met a half-demon child, perceived to be the antichrist next, in a small town where everything he believed came true. He disappeared, although both Sam and Dean tried hard to convince him to come into hiding with them. Knowing that Tate would easily take care of him. After that they faced a witch - Patrick, who played people for their years, instead of money. In Wellington, Ohio Gabriel once more met with the Winchesters.  
Gabriel, revealed himself to be the Trickster, whom they had already met. He had voluntarily fell from Grace several years before as he grew tired of watching his brothers fight each other, and now wanted Sam and Dean to accept their roles as vessels to end the Apocalypse. Using a trick Castiel had taught them they trapped Gabriel in halo of holy oil. Castiel watched the going ons, with wide eyes. Dean refused to become a vessel, but removed Gabriel from the trap after informing Gabriel “You're too damn afraid to stand up to your own family.”  
Tate chewed her bottom lip when Castiel appeared and accused her of not being honest with him. “Castiel, Gabriel came to me, revealed himself, and made me promise not to rat him out to you. Do you understand me. I had no choice. He needed something I could make, and I needed some of his arch-angel grace to heal Bobby! I made a fucking choice Cas, just like you do and continue to do. Everything you do is motivated by Dean - don’t make excuses right now. Everything I have done and continue to do is for my survival and now for the family I call my own. I might not be a Winchester, but I damn well feel like one.”  
Castiel had nothing to say. He could not fully understand human emotions, yet. He was starting to, and that was utterly terrifying. He was drawn to Dean like a moth to a flame. He felt compelled, and without realizing it Castiel was often making choices that he felt would better Dean.  
-/-  
They found themselves next at a convention for Supernatural, the books Chuck had written. Tate arrived not long after them, sent by Bobby who was no fan of the boys going somewhere he had no way of contacting them. Lucky for them, they had a case to solve, and met some pretty interesting fans along the way. Tate watched them, not really interested in being included, but she observed there were some fans wearing depictions of her, with exceedingly bright red wigs. Becky, the girl who had invited them in the first place, seemed oddly jealous of Tate, after they were introduced. Tate just shrugged it off, and hovered near them, letting them do their own thing. It was through Becky they discovered a demon named Crowley had the Colt.  
When Tate returned home, it was with bad news. Bobby was crushed. Ellen and Jo had sacrificed themselves to insure that hellhounds on their heels as the searched for Death were destroyed. Tate refused for the next couple weeks to go out on the road, instead she remained in bed. Bobby was worried about her, she was clearly sick. Between fevers and not being able to keep food down. Bobby eventually called Jody to come see the girl, to check on her. Jody was the one who declared “She might be pregnant, Bobby.”  
Bobby chewed his thumb. “The child looks like she is 14, the whole damn town is going to start talking now.” He grumbled.  
Jody shrugged her shoulders, and frowned. “Don’t know what to tell you. When she came here as your charge, it became your responsibility to take care of your niece regardless, now if one of those boys you keep around here got her in the family way, you best take care of it.” Then the sheriff was gone.  
-/-  
When Bobby’s wife rose from the dead and came home, Tate was a bit sceptical to say the least. Eyebrows raised and head cocked to the side, she cast Bobby a look. “Are we doing something about this?”  
“No.” Bobby declared. “This is my chance to make it right, this is everyone around here's chance to make it right, and by God… we are going to enjoy it.” Bobby declared.  
Tate rolled her eyes, but didn’t say anything for a moment. “You know if the boys catch a wiff of this, they will come, because it is a case.” She snarled, watching the woman in her yellow dress as she baked pies.  
Tate hadn’t been wrong the boys showed up, true to form. Just in time too, because everyone who was resurrected, soon started eating the loved ones in the houses. Tate, shotgun in arms, helped Sheriff Jody Mills, Dean, and Sam eliminate the threat. Bobby killed his wife for a second time. After the dead were taken care of, they convened in Bobby’s living room, his head hung and a sad look on his face. Bobby revealed that the rise of the dead took place in his hometown because Death wanted to break his spirit since he stood in the way of Lucifer's plans by helping the Winchesters.  
-/-  
The moment he came back to his senses in the graveyard his heart echoed in his chest. Bobby was dead, he exploded Cas, and had beaten Dean half to death. Tate broke the clearing, hands covering her waist. It had been months since they had seen each other, but he recognized in that fleeting moment she was pregnant. He backed away from Dean.  
The moment he slipped through the hole and into the trap with Michael and Lucifer, he felt it. The searing burning pain, he tried in the early days to hold on to the hope that even though he was stuck, Tate and their children would be safe.  
Castiel was resurrected again by God as a more powerful angel, healed Dean and brought Bobby back to life. He returned to Heaven, hoping to bring order now that Michael was gone. Dean left in a cloud of dust, headed towards Lisa. Bobby and Tate shared a sorrowful look, locked arms together, and trekked back towards his run down truck, neither spoke for a long moment. “Told you to stay in the truck.” Bobby gruffed, finally.  
“I felt Sam, he was in danger, he needed help.” She muttered.  
“You felt Sam?” He asked his eyes raking over her again.  
“Yea, I carry his unborn, I feel him.” She growled. “And since he is not dead, he is stuck in the pit, I will forever be torchered by his fears, and the burns he is sustaining.”  
Bobby looked across the cab of the truck, to Taste, her head was hung, and he could see tears falling from her eyes into her lap. She looked more than sad, she looked distraught like her whole world had just crashed. “We can’t dwell on this. We have a job to do.” Bobby started. “And with you pregnant, best finish adopting you, and start working out what to tell the neighbors, we are going to be bringing at least one new hunter into the world.”  
-/-  
Dean, Lisa, and Ben had a good life, nice and comfortable. Sure, there had been small hiccups every once in awhile, namely Dean having extreme nightmares, and crying. Lisa was a saint, and Ben was learning how to live with another man in the house, but when Dean got a call from Tate letting him know her children had been born, and she was at Bobby’s, he hauled everyone up and headed out to see her.  
Bobby waved them in gracefully, a small smile on his face. “Bobby!”  
“Dean!” They embraced, then Bobby introduced himself to Lisa and Ben, as Dean slipped up the stairs to where he knew Tate would be. Dean had not been sure, when he saw her the day Sam slipped away almost seven months ago, if Tate was pregnant, or who they belonged to.  
“Dean!” She waved energetically at him. Motioning him over. “This is Dane and this is John. Dane for my father, and John for your father.” Well, that settled it. The little squishy things belonged to Sam. Dean tentatively stepped forward and peaked in at the little things.  
Dane and John both had the unmistakable traces of Fae in them, light tints of brown and green to their skin, small little wings on their backs, and extreme eyes. But they were not green like hers, both were blue, similar to the ones Sammy had. And instead of the red hair that Tate had, brownish blonde locks. They didn’t look new born. He turned towards Tate, her eyes alive.  
“They, uhm grow fast.” She managed. “The fairy blood, rapid growth until they look around six, if I remember quickly. Then they will slow down.” She offered.  
“Sam…” Dean tentatively touched the boy's faces, one then another. “What are their middle names?”  
“Dane Castiel and Jonathan Robert Winchester. I am going to hang around Bobby’s for a bit.” She offered. Her eyes were on him, he nodded. “Next time you see them, and me, they will be a lot older or at least look a lot older.”  
Dean called for Lisa and Ben to come up, but Bobby had Ben entertained in the living room, so Lisa held his nephews and smiled warmly at Dean.  
After Dean left, Bobby returned to managing the phones for the weekend for Rufus. Tate remained in the upstairs portion of the house, watching Dane and John grow almost before her eyes. The fluttering of wings made her jump, she whirled around. “Cas.” Her voice sounded pained. “Where have you been?”  
“I… on a…” His body thudded to the floor.  
“BOBBY! BRING ME WATER, NOW!” Tate screamed, rolling Cas over, blood seeping from him. “No you son of a bitch, you don’t get to fuckin’ die.” She snarled, low and careful.  
Bobby stopped in the doorway confusion on his face, but slipped in handing her the water she had asked for. He watched as she cared for the angel, wiping his wounds, then he watched as she extended her wings, “Break off a bramble.”  
“Won’t that hurt?” Bobby asked, his face pale. He had spent months legally adopting the fairy, her face and body said fourteen, the rest of county had been amazed he had a niece at all, namely one that he wanted to adopt or that wanted to be adopted by him.  
“Yeah, Bobby, but I need to jump start him with pure energy. And other than ripping my soul out, I can’t think of another way.” She explained.  
Bobby reached forward, tentatively, then grabbed one of the top brambles, holding on tight, and bracing her wing with the other. He tore it off, he felt tears in his eyes, as her body withered and jerked under him. Then he watched as she seemed to fuse the branch into his rib cage. Cas gasped, his body seeming to convulse. His eyes opened, wide and he shivered, the swooshing of wings, then he was gone. Tate fell forward, palms on the floor, panting. Bobby scooped her up, delicately and laid her down next to the boys.  
-/-  
Sam Winchester appeared on Bobby’s doorstep not long after that. There was something markedly different about the tall man, first he acted like Tate was nothing, and he brought his grandfather with him. His dead grandfather.  
Bobby didn’t remember much about it, he’d been hit hard over the head by Sam. He remembered hearing Tate scream, the way the room seemed to shift and shake around them. He remembered vaguely the sound of Sam laughing. When he came too one hundred percent, Tate was face down on the floor, breathing shallow. Both her boys, who now looked like six year olds were hiding under the sink, where he had ordered them whenever there was a knock on the door. Through the broken drawers, they had watched their mother…  
Bobby looked her over, he was not one hundred percent sure what Sam had done to her, until he pulled her blood soaked shirt up. Her wings had been ripped off of her, bones and branches sticking out haphazardly from her back, parallel to her spine. She was breathing but not much. Blood, the brightest red he had ever seen, with glimmers of glitter in it, poured from her, spilling around her. Pooling around her.  
Bobby frowned. “Cas, Castiel, I know I don’t pray a lot. But, I need you, Tate needs you, and you owe her, she saved you, you ass.”  
The flutter of wings behind him, made him look up. Castiel stood a few feet behind him, looking tired and a little worse for the wear. His eyes glistened. He dropped to his knees beside her. “I don’t know if I can heal her.” He whispered, but placed his hands on either side of her ribs, blinding white light shot through his palms.  
Tate didn’t wake up for two weeks. All the while Bobby worked on making Rufus’s hunting cabin a safe place for her to hide. He also kept a close eye on the twins. Training both of them to hunt, to kill, and to always keep their human forms on the front lines.  
When she woke up, he carried her up to the cabin, with the boys. “Sheriff Mills is the one who will be bringing you all of the supplies you will need. Weekly.” Bobby told her. “If something happens to my place, I’ll be up here, ok.”  
“Sure thing, Bobby.” Tate looked drained still, her wings were still missing, still completely gone from her. Cas had mentioned that they would grow back in their own time, but it was still a painful process.  
Tate made a friend, a young girl, who was going to school nearby. Maggie Greene. She was more than willing to watch the boys on the off chance that Bobby needed her to hunt something close by. Between all that had happened, and Sam returning, souless in her opinion, Dean playing house, she was Bobby’s best and only constant hunter.  
-/-  
Sam’s soul returned to him, and Death put the wall up, both deals Dean made. Sam had tried to ask Bobby about Tate, but Bobby just refused to say anything or do anything about her. Dean kept insisting that they didn’t need to contact Tate. Sam’s heart was hurting.Hunting wasn’t as fun without her sass to look forward too, without her anger when he fucked something up, or without her smile. He vaguely remembered thinking she was pregnant, when he fell into the cage.  
Dean and Bobby refused to comment on that, on anything related to Tate. It was his grandfather, Samuel who brought up the fairy whose wings they ripped off, when they found each other in the factory, worms trying to climb in their ears. Sam’s heart seemed to stop in his chest. He’d ripped Tate’s wings off. What else had he done?  
Lisa and Ben were taken by Crowley, who was attempting his best to show Dean and Sam not to meddle in his plans, with Tate tucked away somewhere, and Castiel in and out of their lives, the boys decided to handle the kidnapping as best they could on their own, they called a favor in from Balthazar, he was Castiel’s older brother, and younger brother to both Gabriel and Lucifer, if they remembered correctly.  
Calling for his help left both Winchester’s with mixed emotions. More than once Balthazar had declared or openly showed his loyalties laid with Castiel, regardless of the younger angel’s mental state. HP Lovecraft, a favorite writer of Sam’s is where they ended up. The very thought that Lovecraft had opened a portal into another dimension left their heads spinning.  
Castiel, when he finally showed up, demanded “Back down, Dean. Crowley should never have taken them, and I will get them back for you, but please don’t interfere.”  
Dean glared, hard, and Castiel, and just shook his head. “I need you Cas, need you here, with us, don’t run off again, please.”  
The plea was met by the swishing of wings. Castiel was gone. And Dean’s faith in him lost. Dean might have chanced a call to Tate, but he knew as well as Bobby, the relationship Castiel and Tate shared was dangerously codependent like his and Sam’s, something in the year of Dean’s absence had changed between the four players on the board, and there was nothing he could think of to repair it.  
Balthazar appeared before them hours after their talk with Cas, and took them to the factory that Lisa and Ben were being held at, he couldn’t enter thanks to the buildings warded walls. “You should really think about calling Tate, she would be great on this one, the angel warding doesn’t affect her, or shit, even Meg - your demon friend.”  
“No, we do this on our own.” Dean snarled. The building was largely falling apart, to Dean’s horror the first thing he noticed was Lisa’s body, it was already bloodied up, clearly the only thing keeping his lover’s body moving was the black eyed demon withering inside of her.  
“Dean, Sam, nice to see you again. Just in time for me to kill your bitch.” The demon purred. “Know what’s funny Dean, Ben is yours, one hundred percent, and I am going to kill him.”  
Before the beast could move towards Ben, Tate appeared, just for a shimmering moment, she grabbed at the front of Ben’s shirt, and locked eyes with the boy. Then they were gone, completely gone. Sam gasped out, his beloved had been there, had not even looked in his direction, her wings were not as gone as they should have been. For a brief moment he saw them shimmer, wooden branches dancing in the dusty air of the factory, then with a swoosh they knew too well, she was gone.  
Dean stared at the empty space, his face contorted in pain. Then, just like that he screamed, rage releasing from his soul, and flew headlong into Lisa’s body, before the Demon could smoke out, he stabbed her over and over again.  
They gave her a Hunter’s funeral, on the side of the road, outside the city. As her body burned, Dean watched the smoke dance towards the clouds, and wondered who had sent Tate. His mind already focused on the answer, Castiel. Cas had sent someone he knew could get the job done. Tate probably would have been able to save Lisa, as well, if they had not barged in. His shoulders slumped, and he looked between Sam and Bobby, tears threatening to fall. “Tate has him, Dean, he will be fine.”  
“If Tate has him, he will be raised in the life.” Dean growled.  
“You heard what the demon said, Ben is your son - makes him a Winchester, means like it or not, the life was going to catch up with him.” Sam shoved his hands in his pockets, and sighed.  
“Like it did Adam?” Dean shot back.  
Silence overtook them, and Bobby felt his heart breaking. Dean had loved Lisa, so much, so much it hurt. Knowing where Ben was didn’t fix the situation. “Who do you think sent Tate?”  
“Isn’t it obvious?” A voice behind them made them all turn. “Castiel might have lost his touch, and part of his mind, but his love for you, Dean has never wavered for faded. You are the bond that keeps him trying to do right.” Balthazar joined them as the fire continued to burn. “Tate was on the mission to save them in the first place. She was in location when you guys busted in.”  
“Why didn’t you say anything?” Sam asked, anger flaring.  
“I didn’t know… if she was bad or not. Tate and Castiel have an unhealthy bond. He treats her like he did Gabriel, when he was young. Castiel looked up to Gabriel with an unphantoming obsession, he loved Gabriel more than any of the other older brothers, probably even more than me.” Balthazar paused, a sad expression on his face. “My favorite older brother was always Lucifer, so our judgement is probably not something to call sound.”  
“Is there a point to this?” Bobby asked.  
“Yes, Castiel might not be himself right now, but Dean, he meant it when he said he wanted to help you. He loves you very much, even for a human. He might love you more than he loves his angel siblings.” Again Balthazar paused, eyes watching the flames. “Tate is a weapon he will yield, but I suppose you three already figured that out.”  
Then he was gone, “Balthazar has a point.” Sam muttered. “We should have trusted Castiel. Tate was meant to get them both out, and to protection.”  
“I should have, but I didn’t because he can’t be trusted.” Dean snarled, his face enrage.  
“Dean, I know that, but Tate, she’s never been one to do something without…” Bobby stopped. “Without thinking about the consequences.”  
-/-  
“Who are you?” Ben asked, his voice shaking.  
“My name is Tate, and I am a friend of Dean’s.” She explained.  
“Then why did you take me from him and my mother?” Ben looked angry.  
Both John and Dane emerged from their room in the cabin, and made their way towards them. “Because Dean isn’t safe, and your mother wasn’t really your mother anymore.”  
“Demons, right?” Ben asked, running fingers through his messy hair.  
“Yes, and she had destroyed your mom’s body.’ Tate responded honestly, already moving around the cabin to gather a blanket and pillows for Ben. “And this is probably very traumatizing for you.”  
“Not really. Mom always said someday, Dean’s past would catch up with us, and that in the end, she wanted to be the one who died, because she had failed. She never told him that he was my real father.” Ben accepted the blanket and pillows she offered.  
“Well, he knows now, that demon told him.” Tate mused.  
“What are you?”  
“Well, I am human, and part fairy, and part demon.” She paused. “I was an experiment a long long time ago.” She elaborated. “These are your cousins, they are Sam’s sons, Dane and John.”  
“Cool, never had cousin’s before.” The twelve year old smiled warmly at the two boys who looked to be six.  
“Neither have they.” Tate laughed.  
As the sun rose the next morning she cooked breakfast for them, and was not at all surprised when Balthazar arrived. She even sat a plate at the table for him. “Figured you or Castiel would appear. Surprised it is you, considering you helped Dean disobey Castiel’s order.”  
“Who is this?” Ben asked, eyebrows raised watching the blonde haired man sink into the chair.  
“Balthazar, he is an angel, and older brother to the angel that your dad… to Castiel, who often helps your dad.” Tate offered.  
“I came to talk to you, not about myself.” Balthazar snapped.  
“About?” Tate raised an eyebrow, and waited.  
“Cas.” Balthazar almost whispered it.  
“Right, there is something going on, but… I don’t know what. What I do know, is he has been very interested in other dimensions lately, asking about my time with the Men of Letters.” Tate responded honestly.  
“Are you worried about him?” Balthazar asked.  
“Of course I am, we are… close.” Tate muttered.  
“You were not before Sam was drug to hell.” Balthazar mused, eyebrows raised.  
“Let’s just say, I needed a friend and no one was around, sometimes Balti, that happens, Bobby has been sending me hunting, and at times I struggle to find an adequate babysitter. Before Castiel became consumed, and I use that term lightly, he was frequently here, playing house. Balti he has a piece of my wings embedded in his flesh, we are connected and although his mission is not what I think is right, I understand his determination to do it. It has and always will be, Dean.” With that it was clear Tate was done talking about it.  
“Gabriel is alive, Tate. I can feel it. I will send him here, if I locate him. You are offering Safe Harbor, correct?” Balthazar shot back at her, irritation clear. “And thanks for not telling me what Castiel’’s mission is.”  
“I don’t know, I can speculate same as you, but I know nothing of his actual wishes. Only that he is not alone in his endeavor, he has a friend, a co conspirator if you will, and I doubt that you would like who it is.” Tate responded. “Send Gabriel to me, if you desire, I will care for him.”  
-/-  
Gabriel had been murdered, killed by his and Castiel’s older brother Lucifer, so the shock of seeing him standing on the edge of the perimeter around Rufus’s cabin made her do a double take. “Stay in here, boys.” She ordered them, slipping out the front. Even if Balthazar had warned her he felt that Gabriel was still alive.  
He was dressed much like a hobo, and his face contorted in pain. “The voices told me to come here.” That was all he said before he dropped, hard to the ground.  
“Shit. Shit.” She whimpered. She managed to haul him up, and smudged two of the sigils to let him in. No angel’s were actively hunting her anyway. “Boys, come help me.” She called to them. Each son grabbed a leg, with Ben holding his right side as she held his left, and the four managed to wrangle the fallen angel into the house. Gabriel looked like he’d been through more than one wringer. “Couch.”  
Once he was on the couch, she moved to the bathroom, flexing her wings in the mirror, finding a outstretched branch she could easily break off. She bit back the scream of pain as she ripped it. The four then undressed Gabriel, down to his boxers. He was not healing like he should be. “I am going to jump start you, ok?”  
The prone form did nothing, said nothing, she sighed. Praying to Cas might have been out of the question, he’d been a little on edge these days, something she was unsure of seemed to be right under his features, something akin to God. Something he wanted to be. She had figured out most of his plans, at least she assumed she had.  
Purgatory had souls ripe for the picking, to be picked it had to be opened - a gate. Most things worked that way, other dimensions at least did. She rolled her shoulders, the only other angel she knew well was Lucifer, and she couldn’t justify asking his assistance on this one. Balthazar was helping the boys, at least she figured he was, since she had not seen him since the morning after Ben’s arrival nearly two weeks before that. The boys had mentioned an Anna once, but she didn’t know her well enough to actually pray to her.  
Foregoing the idea of praying, she rested her hands on the middle of his chest, broken wing scrape between her palms. “Hunc animum applicant ramum ad salire incipient.” Her voice broke slightly, willing the power of angels into the branch, that was something she didn’t know she could do until she had done it to Cas.  
Gabriel gasped, his body convulsed, then he kissed her, hard and crushing on the forehead. “Thank you, buttercup.”  
“Gee, thanks, Gabe.” She rolled her eyes. “Stay for a bit?”  
“Yea, when the plaid wearing monsters come, I’ll hop out. Will you come with me?” He asked.  
“Maybe, depends on what the Winchesters are into these days. Meet mine and Sam’s sons, John and Dane. This is Dean’s son, Ben.” She motioned the boys closer. “This is your Uncle Gabriel, he is Cas’s brother.”  
“Hi.” The twins said in unison.  
“Nice to meet you.” Ben waved, somewhat enthusiastically.  
“Can you maybe wave your arm and give them a playstation or something to entertain them?” Tate asked. “I need to run into town, and start looking for our babysitter. Are you alright here with them?” Gabriel nodded, Tate turned her attention to Ben. “You're in charge, ok. Use the burner hunter phone I gave you to call me if you hear, see, need anything.” Ben promised he would, then let her hug him.  
Ben didn’t think of her as a mom, more like the cool aunt. She hadn’t pressured him about his mother’s death, instead she helped him create a memory book. She literally painted his mother’s face, perfectly for the first page. Ben was pouring through Lore books that were stationed around the cabin, teaching John and Dane how to read. Ben was thankful that Tate had not sent him away, or called Dean to come get him. He loved his father very much, but he needed his time, his space, to work out how he felt about this life. Dean would have tried his hardest to talk him out of becoming a hunter, but Ben felt it - down to his bones, he was supposed to be a hunter, that was what his family did.  
Gabriel rested up the next couple of days, mostly enjoying the magic that seemed to be coming back to him in waves, he liked the simplicity of the cabin, he liked being around Tate, she had always been an interesting one to him, he had purposefully kept a watchful eye on her, even when he was playing Loki or the Trickster. He didn't think she understood exactly what she actually was.  
It was about a week after Gabriel came that Bobby called. “Need you to head down to New Orleans, for me, darling. Need you to help two rookies with a Vamp nest.”  
“Who are the rookies?” She questioned into the phone.  
“Daryl and Merle Dixon. I practically raised Daryl until Merle started hunting, since then ain’t seen hide nor hare of them, but they called and said they could use a hand, they seem to think it’s an older vamp. Can you head down there? Sam and Dean are… out.” Bobby sounded tired, stressed, and more than ready to just pass out.  
“Sure Bobby, anything for Daryl.” Tate remembered the boy fondly, smiling for a moment, “How will I find them. And where are you?”  
“I am with Dean and Sam, we are tracking Castiel, at the moment.” Bobby’s voice wavered.  
“Right, ok…” She waited.  
“A bar in the French Quarter, something about Voodoo.” Bobby offered then the line went dead.  
“Can you watch them for a couple days?” She asked, eyebrows raised.  
“Sure, hurry home, incase Castiel shows up.” Gabriel called after her, but Tate was already gone. “She doesn’t waste time, huh?”  
“She likes to hunt.” Ben offered.  
“Being cooped up with us -” Dane started.  
“Is fun, for a week -” John continued.  
“But, she misses the life.” Dane concluded.  
“They always creepy?” Gabriel shivered a bit.  
Ben laughed. “Nah, only when they are worried.” He chased his younger cousins back to their room, where Gabriel had presented them with a playstation and all the games they could ever want, as well as three controllers, and two televisions.  
-/-  
Most hunters would not take on a complete nest of vamps on their own, however she was not human. Not as much as she had once been. Her wings had reformed, beautiful blackened almost charred looking wood stemmed from her form, the greens darker and the browns almost black against her flesh.  
Both Merle and Daryl were hunters, young hunters to be fair, but good in their trade. Their father had been possessed by a rather violent demon for a rather long time. Daryl and Merle had assisted in taking down the nest, it was their first. As they sit around each other at the bar all of them laughing, the question came up she had been dreading. “Are you Anastasia Singer Winchester? The fairy queen Tate who helps the fabled Dean and Sam?” Merle asked, cautiously.  
“Yea, at least I used to be. All I am is Tate Winchester, now.” She muttered. “Still a hunter, and still a bounty on my head.”  
“You used to babysit me.” Daryl laughed, watching her nose wrinkle in a small expression of dislike for the word, before she could do or say anything, something more pressing made her snap her head back.  
“ANASTASIA!” A voice roared behind her, fangs exposed.  
“Rosabella?” Tate turned her head, eyes raking over a form she had not seen in well over six hundred years. “Rosa, that is you?”  
Tate felt her hand before she realized what was happening. She was lifted off her feet violently as Rosa lifted her off her feet, hand tight around her neck. Tate scratched at her sister’s hand. “You destroyed my children.”  
“The nest was yours?” Daryl asked, interested.  
“It was. I created them all. Beautiful creatures, over the last almost five hundred years.” The vampire spat. “I gave up the human part of me long ago.”  
“I didn’t.” Tate managed to choke out. Kicking hard at her sister, falling backwards. “Look, I didn’t know they were yours, it has been literally forever since I laid eyes on you.”  
The Dixon’s looked between Tate’s majestic form, her skin shimmering with veins of green, brown and black running over her, leaves forming on her flesh like tattoos. Rosabella on the other hand looked terrifying. Her ears pointed like Tate’s, but ashy white. Her eyes blood red, completely, no iris no milky white. Her hair was a darker red than Tate’s. Her features much sharper, unlike modern vampires she did not have several roles of teeth, instead she had four on top and on bottom that were always out. She was taller than her sister. Her fingernails like claws.  
“Tate, I never wanted to meet you like this.” Rosa brushed her fingertips over her sister’s cheek. “I know you have been a hunter, have been for a long time.”  
“Rosa, I looked for you, after you left me.” Tate’s green eyes wide.  
“Not very hard, then.” Rosa snarled.  
“Rosa, we were thrown into two different continents, thousands of miles and an ocean between us. I never stopped looking.” Tate countered. “I took up hunting just to find your ass. But, lately, things… have been a bit busy in the hunting world. I guess, more accurately, the last one hundred years have kind of been fubared.”  
“Kinda?” Rosa snarled.  
“Rosa, let the hunters and the humans go. If you want to punish me you can.” Tate frowned.  
“No, I want to be left alone.” Her voice echoed through the bar.  
“A’ight. Alone. Got it.” Tate nodded to her.  
“How did you stop time?” Daryl asked, looking around the bar.  
“Didn’t stop it, merely slowed it down.” Crowley’s voice flowed from behind them. “Wanted to chat with my two favorite monster twins. But they needed to work out some family things first. Sorry about your wings love, and your… other fangs, but I needed both those pieces to track down the Alpha creators of your races, see… the demon who played doctor with you two slices of fun, happened to have taken pure extract from the rulers, fathers, mothers, of your races.”  
“So you sicked the Campbells, and broken Sam on me?” Tate snarled, instantly her sister by her side. “You ripped my wings from my body and endangered my sons?” Her snarl looked alot like her twins, at that moment and both Dixon’s backed away from the disagreement.  
“I did.” Crowley responded, a smile on his face. “And I even tipped Bobby Singer off about the nest, knowing it was you sisters.”  
Tate fell silent, looking at Rosa. Rosa surged forward, grabbing onto Crowley, raising him from the floor. “You sick sorry bottom feeding, son of a bitch.”  
“Rosabella…”  
“Tate take your humans and get out of here, now.” Rosa ordered. Tate gave her sister one last look, before grabbing ahold of both Dixon’s, with a whoosh of her wings they were gone.  
-/-  
She didn’t tell Bobby about her sister, when she called to let him know that she had helped with the nest and that she was headed home. She didn’t say much of anything. She delivered the Dixon’s home to Atlanta, or the outskirts of the town, then flew herself back to Rufus’s cabin.  
“Gabriel?” She looked at him, eyes concerned, he was sitting on the front porch.  
“Going to fly off for a while, someone is coming to see you.” Was all he said then a small breeze whipped around her, and he was gone.  
Gabriel had apparently lost control of the child situation at some point, because Ben had called in their occasional babysitter for back up. If Tate had to guess, it was probably when they ran out of food, this time she had been gone four days, and she knew without a doubt that she was inadvertently giving the three boys the same lifestyle that their fathers had had, and never wanted for their own children.  
She greeted Maggie, paid her for babysitting then grabbed a beer and sank down onto the couch with her boys. She rested her head on the back of the couch eyes turned towards the ceiling, as both boys cuddled to her side. “Mommy, what’s wrong?” Dane asked. Ben sunk down on the floor in front of her, his back resting on her legs.  
“Nothing, love, just ran into my… my sister.” She ruffled his messy hair.  
“You have a sister?” John asked burrowing into his mother’s side.  
“Is she older or younger than you?” Ben asked, curious now.  
“I had one once a long time ago, want me to tell you about her?” Tate asked. The boys nodded. “We were twins.” She started. “Just like you two.” She kissed the tops of their heads. “We were born in what was called the Byzantine Empire, and we were the older kids born into our family. We loved each other very much, me and Rosabella. Our country was at war, a lot, and our father feared he would be ordered to join the army once more. My father made a deal with a very rude, demon… who only wanted his first born, except my sister and I were born moments apart, and the demon decided it wanted both of us. When we were ten it took us, far away from our parents. For many years we just lived comfortably in a nice place, a nice… underground castle.” She paused. “When we turned 14 planting seasons old, he started. Started the experiments, it was… a long year, Rosa took better to the blood he was adding to her… and she was freed sooner than I was.” She paused, tears in her eyes. “My body refused the Fae blood, so the monster, added some of his, to bind human and fae together. I am neither human nor Fae exclusively.”  
Both boys curled to her, and she kissed their heads once more. “Bed time.” She jerked, looking over her shoulder.  
“Cas.” She smiled warmly at him, but he didn’t look himself. “Go on, babes, head to bed, mommy and uncle Cas need to talk.” She watched them climb up the loft, Ben helping the more sleepy younger two over the final rung of the ladder, then stood, walking to Castiel, her arms open to hug him. “What’s wrong.”  
Cas let her hold him for a moment, dipping his head to rest on hers. “I’ve done something.” He muttered. “I’ve… killed us all.”  
“What are you on about?” She asked, holding him tight, resting her head against his ribs.  
“Leviathans.” She jerked away from them. “They… I opened the gate to purgatory.”  
“Cas…” She growled. “You… why would you do that?”  
“To have enough juice to fight Raphael. And I did. He’s dead.” Cas paused. “But now, now I am God.”  
“Castiel, you are not God.” She snarled, backing cautiously away from him, her eyes wide in anticipation.  
“I am too. I am God.” Cas seemed to be trying to convince himself.  
“No, Castiel, God is God, you are Castiel the angel I know, the angel Dean loves. What the hell are you doing?” She snarled, fisting her hands in the expanse of the trench coats front, shaking it, eyes alive and angry. Cas grabbed her wrist, wrenching her hands from him.  
“Saving the world, Tate.” Castiel snarled.  
“You’ve destroyed it, don’t you see that - Cas how could you… I defended you!” Her voice broke in anger.  
Cas had no response, other than to leave her. She frowned, her irritation loud in the silence, she grabbed at her cell phone, and called Bobby. “Dad?”  
“Tate?” Bobby asked cautiously.  
“Yea, Cas just came by.” Tate chewed his thumb nervously.  
“Shit, was he ok.” Bobby had put her on speaker, and she could hear Dean. Dean’s voice dripped with absolute pain. Tate was not sure how much it hurt Dean, to love Castiel, but she knew for sometime just in watching them interact that something was different between them. She also knew that as much as Dean loved Castiel, he had also loved Lisa, and some part of Dean blamed Cas for Lisa’s death.  
“No, he thought he was fucking God, Dean.” Tate snarled.  
“Tate?” Sam’s voice took her by surprise.  
“You sound like my Sam.” Her voice sounded small. “Didn’t know if you got your soul back or not, since we didn’t get to talk much last time you saw me.”  
“I did, darling.” Sam almost purred into the phone.  
“Look, we have some things to do, Tate, keep you and the boys safe. If we need to come up there, we will.” Bobby ordered, apparently snatching the phone from Sam.  
“You got it, dad.” Tate responded.  
“Tate, angel and demon proof, now.” Dean ordered. “Is Ben ok?” His voice wavered, breaking slightly.  
“He wants to be a hunter, Dean, and I am more than willing to train him. And roger that, boss.” She hung up the phone and started drawing sigils on the windows. She pulled a chair into the living room and painted a nice devil’s trap on the ceiling. She gathered her weapons and placed them on the table, making sure holy oil was among them.  
-/-  
The first case she worked after discovering Castiel released the Leviathans, took her to Nevada. This time Daryl Dixon had personally called her in. “Tate,” He had said. “It’s your sister, and she is a little more off the reservation than last time.”  
Las Vegas was loud and smelled bad, in her personal opinion. Last time she had graced the Caesar she had been in the 1960’s, and even then it had a none too pleasant atmosphere of disaster and lust. She found Rosabella easy enough, her sister was killing and not changing others. Apparently still angry about the loss of her nest.  
When Tate found her, she had Merle Dixon hanging from her rafters, and was proverbially the cat playing with the mouse, raking her blade up and down Daryl’s body. “Hello, sister.” Rosa didn’t even look up.  
“Rosa.” Tate’s voice was deeper, darker, now than it had been when she had first met the Dixon’s.  
When Rosabella turned to face her sister, her mouth gaped open. Both Gabriel and Balthazar had decided to join her on this mission. Both men, in their almighty power, wings flashing as the lightning struck and the thunder rumbled outside the warehouse. As the lights flickered Rosa’s face fell. “Come to kill me?”  
“I would rather not, sister. But you know, we chose different sides in a war a long time ago. I picked the side of hope - the hunters, who work hard to keep the humans safe. You picked the side of monsters. What would you have me do?” Tate asked, cautiously. Her bare feet padded along the door, walking steadily towards Rosa.  
“Leave, and let me be. All I ever wanted was to be left alone.” Rosa snarled, her fangs protruding.  
“Yet, you kill humans, knowing the attention you will attract.” Tate mused. Gabriel looked between the two, something seemed to be breaking inside him, so Balthazar placed a steadying hand on his brother.  
“Maybe I wanted your attention.” Rosa sneered at her sister, dropping the knife.  
“Well, a phone call would have been less messy, but you have my undivided attention, now. What can I do for you?” There was no sarcasm in her words, only hopefulness.  
“Stop helping the Winchesters. Leviathans can not be stopped. You lot are only holding it up.” She snarled.  
“There is no discussion to be had, sister, if this is all your presenting. Their battle is not mine, mine is saving the man I love.” Tate responded, her wings tucked into her skin and she inched forward.  
“Anastasia, you always were a fool.” Rosa bit the words out, and grabbed wildly behind her, tossing the blade from her hand, she watched it sink into her sister's rib cage.  
Tate didn’t so much as blink, instead she took a few more steps forward. Machete in hand. “Don’t make me kill you, dear one.”  
“Why, it was always coming. I am evil, you are good. Been this way since the day we were born.” Rosa sneered back.  
“But, it doesn’t have to be.” Tate sounded defeated, in her own way.  
Balthazar and Gabriel moved to help the Dixon’s, Balthazar shouldering Merle’s form, and Gabriel helping Daryl stand. “And what would you have me do? Become a hunter? Kill my own kind?”  
“I kill Fairies, Demons, all levels of evil, if killing you will free you from torment then I kill let you die by my hand, but I would rather have you at my side, then on opposite force.” Tate was standing inches from her face now.  
Gabriel watched, intently. He could see clearly which daughter God had wanted him to raise, could see now why Tate was the chosen, why through all of history he had been place as her guardian, why even after his fall, when God spoke to him it was about the smaller one.  
“Tate.” Rosa’s voice broke. “Remember when we were human, the way we would play, running all over the sandy knolls and watching the world, remember how we both wanted to marry noblemen?”  
“I remember a lot of things, mostly, I remember asking you to run away with me, once we knew our father had decided to trade us to a demon.” Tate muttered.  
Rosa’s face fell. “I don’t want to die, but I don’t want to live. If I must be destroyed let it be by your hand.”  
Tate looked at her carefully. “No, I am not going to kill you, but should we meet again, I will destroy you, completely. Do I make myself clear?”  
“Why would you spare her?” Daryl screamed, irritated.  
“She delivered her message, I imagine it came from Hell, now she can be on her way and hide, I know for a fact she doesn’t need to eat this frequently to survive, she’s too damn old.” Tate motioned at Gabriel and Balthazar.  
Anger surged on Rosa’s face, and she shot forward, slamming a second blade into Tate, piercing her shoulder. When Rosa opened her eyes she was completely alone, standing in the dusky warehouse.  
-/-  
Balthazar and Gabriel landed outside the cabin, Merle and Daryl in hand, and waited patiently for Tate. The moment she touched down, she slouched forward, only to be greeted by Gabriel pressing two fingers to her forehead, she smiled at him, relieved then nodded at Daryl, Balthazar quickly healed him then moved on to Merle.  
“Should've killed her.” Merle spat once they landed at the cabin.  
“No, I did the right thing. She can let whoever is calling the shots know that she told me what she needed to tell me, and they can shove it up their demonic asses.” Tate responded.  
“What happened, Tate?” Ben asked.  
“Oh, not much, my sister… decided to show herself.” Tate answered honestly.  
The Dixon stayed on a couple days, teaching Ben, John, and Dane how to use some of the larger weapons the boys had in their packs. When they left it was to work a case in Paducah, Kentucky. They were going to be hooking up with Garth, if she understood correctly, and taking out some Ghouls.  
-/-  
It was almost a month before they arrived at the cabin. Tate learned in text messages from Dean the going ons of the trio. For one, they had tried to use Death to their advantage, literally calling the horseman in an attempt to stop Castiel. Instead, they had learned about the Leviathans. Tate shivered at the mention of their name, and had contacted both Balthazar and Gabriel in regards to them. Both angels showed up on a Saturday morning, happy to be together, and relieved that for now Tate and the three young Winchester’s were safe. Dean and Sam had been called to Sioux Fall’s by Sheriff Mills who had a Levithan problem on her hands, and was in desperate need of help.  
-/-  
When they arrived at Rufus’s cabin, Tate flung herself into Sam’s arms. Maggie was stretched out on the couch, with the boys watching a horror flick and tacos were on the stove. “Glad you lot could make it!” Tate cheered into Sam’s arms, then detangled herself and hugged Dean, then Bobby. Dean’s leg was casted, and he looked miserable.  
“Pawpaw!” Both boys ran hard into Bobby’s arms.  
“Dad,” Ben nodded towards Dean, but made no move to stand from where he was sitting, a book sprawled across his lap.  
“Ben!” Dean looked excited and concerned in one go, as he was helped into the main house by Bobby and Sam. They deposited him on the couch, Ben instantly stood, tucking the book, and joined him on the couch.  
“Guess I will be leaving then, huh.” Maggie said as she emerged from the bathroom, she hugged Tate then slipped out the front door.  
“Babysitter?” Dean asked.  
“Yeah, she keeps the kids, when I have to hunt.” Tate offered. “What happened?”  
“House burned down. Need you to slip out and collect some things with Judy. The Sheriff from Sioux Falls.” Bobby elaborated.  
“Right, I can do that.” Tate nodded. “First thing. Do not, I repeat, do not leave my children alone.” She snarled at all three of them.  
“Wait, Tate,” Sam caught her arm. “Are…?” He froze.  
“Dane, Johnny, come here.” Tate called them over, seemingly ignoring Sam. “You know Uncle Dean, and Pawpaw, this is your dad, Sam. He’s been through alot, and had to miss time with you because he was locked in battle with Lucifer, I have told you both the story, many times, so don’t bother him with the questions, just… be happy he is here.” Then she kissed them both and turned away.  
“Your wings.” Sam and Bobby both reached out to touch them the moment they saw her back. They looked charred, broken.  
“Tate.” Sam’s voice quivered.  
“It wasn’t you.” She growled. “The man who did this, wasn’t you.” She comforted him him.  
“Thank you.” Sam frowned, watching her walk away, and out the front.  
“Pawpaw, can we eat?” John asked, tugging at Bobby’s hand.  
“Sure, mini-idjit.” Bobby ruffled his hair, and led Sam, Dane, Johnny, and Ben to the kitchen. Dean was thankful his son liked him enough to bring him a plate of whatever Tate had been cooking.  
-/-  
“Gabriel, this doesn’t feel right. Cas needs us, over powered or not. He will fail, and when he does… it’ll unleash the Leviathans.” Tate spoke calmly to the angel, he had his arm around her shoulders as they walked through the grocery store. Her truck loaded down with several books of lore that Bobby had made copies of, paranoid old man he was.  
“It will, but I am dead, remember, best to lay low, for now.” Gabriel tapped his chin, then looked at her. “Remember, they are going to try to do the right thing, and kill the Leviathans, you and the boys need to be away from that fight.”  
Balthazar appeared beside them. “Not to agree with my brother, but Gabriel is right, you are very valuable, to the angels and the humans who are around you, it would not do well for you to die, darling.”  
“The boys will be with you two, and Bobby.” She grumbled. “I will fight with Dean and Sam. It’s my place.” Then she strode ahead, Gabriel’s wings swishing behind her has he disappeared. Balthazar gave her a curious look, then was gone as well. She took care gathering the last of the ingredients and food they would need for the next several days.  
When she made it home, Sam was stand in the doorway, sort of shuffling from one foot to another, impatient. “You were gone a long time.” He muttered.  
“Hard to find the busty beauties for your brother.” She snapped, then paused, eyes looking up. “What’s wrong Moose?” She joked.  
He grabbed her around her middle, hauling her up into his arms, and kissing her hungrily. She unceremoniously dropped the bags she was holding, and tightened her arms around his neck, her legs wrapped around his waist. When they separated he pressed his forehead to hers, still holding her in his arms, her feet dangling in the air. “I love you Tate.” He breathed it, then kissed her again.  
She laughed, and electricity crackled. “I love you too, Sam.” Then she peppered his face with kisses.  
“Marry me, then?” He asked, wiggling his eyebrows.  
“Of course.” She laughed.  
Bobby performed the ceremony, it was simple but more binding than any piece of paper. It came from Fae lore, and once done, it could not be undone. Dean was happy for Sam and Tate, happy that they had found each other, that even in the world of Hunters, they could be with each other, they could create a family. They could mold together a life that made sense, and worked for them. Jealousy was the second strongest emotion Dean felt, he would never have what they had.  
-/-  
Although Tate wanted everything to be alright, wanted everything to fall into place as it had the first time she lived with them, she knew that was not something that could happen. Both Sam and Dean were fundamentally different, 2005 was what felt like a decade ago, and long was it forgotten to the boys how much hunting back then had meant to them.  
The boys took off to hunt, first chance they got. Tate remained in the cabin, with Bobby. Bobby was surprised the first time Gabriel or Balthazar popped in, but he got over it, and even found the two angels to be useful when it came to knowledge.  
Dean and Sam had a rather bad argument in the weeks that followed them leaving the cabin, or at least Bobby told her they did. After two Levithan’s framed them for a murder/robbery spree the two argued and split up. The next cast both boys worked, which Tate loudly called this karma, was the same case - they had both headed to Lily Dale, New York - the most psychic place in America, if the mug she received in the mail from Sam later that week had any truth to it.  
She got a rather angry phone call on a Wednesday about three weeks after the boys had left, Dean ordering she come help him with a case because Sam had ran off again. Tate rolled her eyes then calmly said, “Dean, I’d love to come brother, but Bobby needs someone here with him and the boys.” Dean made a rude noise into the phone. “But, we have someone in mind - His name is Garth, worked with him a couple times myself, real wonderful boy - little weird in the start, but he grows on you.”  
Tate could barely suppress the grin on her face when she hung up and saw Bobby’s disapproving look. “Tate, how long have you been waiting to send Garth to help Dean.”  
“Would you believe me if I said since I met Dean…” Tate’s voice trailed off.  
Bobby roared with laughter, and for a while it was calm. The boys hunted the next several months, and only called in to check in. That’s when Tate got a rather unusual phone call from Dean.  
“What do you mean he’s married to someone?” Tate snarled.  
“He married this… Becky. She’s one of the fan girls, remember… the novels, Chuck.” Dean sounded just as irritated as Tate felt.  
“Fix it. Dean.” She snapped. “Or I will.” Dean had to admit he didn’t like the underlying threat to Tate’s voice, but he understood as well as she did, that if their bond was in question, it could destroy her. Or worse, destroy Sam.  
“What’s happened?” Bobby asked, wiggling his eyebrows.  
“Sam went and got hitched, some chick named Becky in Vegas, Dean is following them back to Maine, and I believe plans to figure out why my husband has married someone else.” Tate growled.  
“Well, while he is doing that, I have a hunt for you. Gonna call Garth in on it too, need you to head to Florida, got some Voodoo that is getting out of hand.” Bobby elaborated.  
Tate left early the next morning, picked Garth up, and headed further south than she liked to travel. Three witch doctors later and a whole lot of Lore books and spell books nicked for a particularly nasty looking shop - they also carefully packed up all voodoo ingredients they could find, they returned to the cabin. Garth insisting that he didn’t want to be a burden.  
Tate promised Garth if they both killed a witch doctor, and not her taking out all three, she would cook him a nice meal, and let him play video games with her kids. Garth had agreed to the wager, upping the stakes and saying if he killed two to her one witch doctor, that he would be the one to drive them home.  
Tate took out two, and Garth one, but hell who's counting. Tate had even managed to work a spell to reverse the evil that had seeped through the town poisoning it from the inside out. Garth had no clue what Tate was but he considered her a godsend to the world of hunting.  
Upon arriving home Bobby informed Tate, “Dean cleared up the whole Sam issues, he's divorced now. And, it was a demon… taking souls as payment early.”  
“Well, good.” Tate laughed. “Are they headed home?”  
“For a little while!” Sam called, from behind her, making her jump.  
“We gave the boys some gifts, and hi there Garth.” Dean looked amused.  
Garth just looked confused, but was relieved to see they were all relatively happy to see him. “Hi Dean, hi Sam!”  
“Welcome to our hideout!” Bobby joked.  
For the first time in months they ate together, as a family. Tate cooked baked spaghetti and apple pie. Dean and Ben fought over the last slice of pie, Dean finally relenting and splitting it with his son. Sam tucked both Dane and John in for the first time ever. Three beers into Garth’s celebration he was passed out on the couch, Tate covered him up and laughed. Bobby turned in next, then Dean found a way to his bunk bed, leaving Tate and Sam alone on the front porch, in the wooden swing. From the outside looking in they could be a normal family.  
Sam was relieved to be home, feeling Tate snuggle under his arm, he was even more relieved that she wasn’t mad at him for what happened with Becky. Then again, knowing Tate she was probably going to tease him silly about it some day. Tonight he would settle for being with her, alone in the dark for the first time in a very long time.  
He was surprised when she climbed into his lap, pressed her arms around his neck, and kissed his lips. Electricity rocked through his body, and instantly he was reminded, home was never a place really, it was the people who occupied your life. Gently carrying Tate to bed, they flung their clothes off and settled into one another.  
-/-  
Reprieves are never long in the life of hunters. A case landed on the news the next morning. Apparently the Jersey Devil was killing people. Tate draped her arm around Ben’s shoulders, her left arm resting around Dane’s collarbone, with John under Ben’s right arm, they waved as Bobby, Dean, and Sam left headed towards New Jersey. Garth was headed back towards Colorado.  
Tate learned through phone calls the next couple of days that no the Jersey Devil was not real, and they could probably chuck all the lore about the dumb beast out the fucking window, according to Bobby. Sam and Bobby had discovered that the meat used to make the sandwiches at one of the many fast food joints was altering the human body and mind, making those that consumed it either lazy and stupid or extremely vicious zombie like creatures. The last text message she received before her world fell apart was that they had found what looked like a main house for Leviathan activities. Bobby was somehow captured in the events that followed their attempt to ‘blow the place like a popsicle stand’, Dean’s words not hers.  
A garbled phone call later, let her know two things. Dean and Sam had broke into Dick Roman’s lair, the head leviathan, to break Bobby out. Using Borax, which thanks to Sheriff Mills they knew to be a weapon against the beast, to stun and stall, they had managed to extract Bobby. As they were driving off, something terrible happened. Bobby had been shot.  
“Maggie, no listen, I know this is late, I have to get to Jersey, it’s my dad, he’s been shot.” Tate nearly screamed into the phone. Maggie arrived quicker than expected, to Tate’s utter amazement.  
“Go.” Maggie ordered. Tate darted out the front door, and didn’t even bother flying, no she swished her wings, and took off into the night sky, determined to make it to New Jersey in time.  
-/-  
She didn’t make it. When she arrived, Sam was slumped against the door of the room, something written on his hand, and Dean was glaring at her. He grabbed her up shaking her hard. “BRING HIM BACK!” He snarled into her face.  
Tate’s eyes watered. She had no way to tell them, not without them freaking out. Bobby wasn’t gone, but he wasn’t alive either. Her eyes ghosted over the shaky form of Bobby, he was looking down at his own body, his eye locked on hers, tears streaming.  
“I can’t.” And she couldn’t, his spirit had already decided what it was doing, Bobby felt he had unfinished business, and she had no clue how to push a soul back into a body. This would be something Castiel, Gabriel, or Balthazar would know how to do, not her. She crumbled from his arms, tears on her own face.  
She returned to the cabin, her heart full of fear. Dean and Sam had told her about Castiel dissolving in the water. Gabriel and Balthazar had been distant, hiding does that to a person, both had faked their deaths at least once, and she was sure praying to either one would draw unwanted attention. She also knew they could not remain at the cabin, not now.  
She and Ben gathered up everything they had there, and she stole a truck from town. In the dead of night they loaded everything of importance up. Dane and John stretched out in the floorboard, Ben rested his head against the window, with his legs tucked under him, and Tate drove, to the one place she would feel even remotely safe.  
The Salvage Yard had been burned to the ground. “Fucking Leviathans.” She grumbled under her breath. But that wasn’t where she was headed. Leaving the three sleeping boys in the truck she ducked into the panic room, the only thing that was still really standing, and gathered some photos and books that had been left behind months ago.  
She emerged, climbed back into the truck, turned the engine over, and steered them towards Jody Mill’s house. Jody eyed her for a moment, then nodded her head. Tate took over her garage the next several weeks, creating a Hunter’s domain in the concrete fortress. In pale white spray paint, over the soft white of the garage she painted wards, to keep everything and anything out.  
Weeks passed before she heard anything from either of the elder Winchester's. When Dean called, it was to let her know that they needed help with an Amazon princess. She was quick to tell them that once the daughters were born, it was their job to remove and eat the hearts of their fathers. Dean hung up on her abruptly.  
Later she learned he hung up because his daughter was in front of him. Sam killed her. Tate mourned for the little monster she had never met. They were headed to Wichita Kansas, next, but opted to stop in briefly. Jody was astonished to see the boys and Tate, how well they worked like a family. “See you soon!” Sam had promised kissing the boy's forehead, then Tate goodbye. Dean and Ben hugged, and Dean gave Jody a soft smile. “Be back in a jiffy, Tate, keep the phones going, ok.”  
“Sure thing, boss.” Tate waved as they left. Jody felt the sadness and fear as it seeped from Tate’s form. She knew that Tate hated being away from the older two Winchesters, even if there was nothing to be done for it. The boys needed someone to look after them.  
Weeks passed with no word, then she learned that Frank was dead. Frank who had been researching all of Dick Romans deeds, had been working for Sam and Dean, and had even given them all new alias, to protect them from the watchful eyes of the Leviathans. Tate was requested to pick his trailer and computers up. Tate left and was back by the next morning, parking the large recreational camper in the backyard of Jody’s house and covering it with a large tarp.  
She went to work on unlocking the computers and files, but quickly discovered everything had been removed, no hard drives on any of the computers. Frustrated, she lost her temper, and slammed into everything within reach.  
Radio silence. Nothing for days. She waited checking her phones, watching the going ons of the world. Head tilted to one side, concern evident on Jody’s face when she saw her. Tate didn’t have to eat as much as normal humans, but with Jody around, the boys were eating healthy regular meals without to much fuss. The widowed sheriff had lost her son and husband, and to some degree rather enjoyed having Tate and the youngster Winchesters around.  
The next time Dean called, it was about Sam. He was breaking. Lucifer’s grip on his mind was destroying him. Tate made calls to every hunter she knew after that, and she knew plenty. Finally she found one, and put him in contact with Dean. A man by the name of Emanuel was healing people, no tricks no reaper in the wings, nothing like that. He was working honest miracles.  
She didn’t receive a call, instead a text message delivered the single most damning line she imagined Dean would ever write. “It’s Cas, Tate, the healer is Cas. He doesn’t remember me. I don’t know what to do.” Tate had no response. Her heart fluttered.  
The next text caught her off guard. “Meg is with us. She want’s to tell Cas the truth?”  
“Don’t until he and you are ready.” Tate had responded.  
Silence for the next eight hours. She was getting really good at looking like she didn’t sleep, and she probably had forgone sleep for days at this point, she couldn’t heal Sam. She didn’t have that in her skill set, at least she didn’t think she did.  
Meg called her. “Anastaisa?”  
“Who is this?”  
“Meg.”  
“Oh.”  
“Dean asked me to call.”  
“Is Sam ok?”  
“Yea, Cas couldn’t heal him.”  
‘Oh.”  
“Cas took the pain and memories from him.”  
“Shit, is Cas ok?”  
“I… don’t know. Dean wanted you to come here.”  
“Why?”  
“I am going to stay at the hospital and watch over Cas.”  
“Ok?”  
“I need to be sure no one can track or summon me.”  
“Right, you should be bound to a living soul.”  
“Dean said…” Meg’s voice broke.  
“I’ll bind you. Give me a few minutes, and I will be there. Is Cas awake?”  
“Sort of.”  
-/-  
Meg was dressed like a nurse when Tate arrived. Castiel was fast asleep. Tate kissed his forehead gently, and was rewarded by his eyes opening briefly, then he rolled over. “Not much of a talker these days, huh.” Meg was beautiful, even for a demon. Tate watched the creature make her way into the room. “Meg?”  
“Yeah, this vessel, she was a druggy, on the way to killing herself, it's mine now.” Meg declared.  
“Don’t care, if I bind you, the soul that was in there will be destroyed. Can you live with that?” Tate asked.  
“I’m a demon, I don’t have standards.” Meg responded.  
Meg had no clue what she expected when Dean mentioned binding. She had figured there might be some blood, or some latin incantation whispered. Instead, Tate stepped right up to her, and drew a symbol on her chest, over her heart. It was not drawn in blood, at least Meg didn’t think it was. The blue shimmering light that emerged from the symbol seeped into Meg’s skin, and left a tattoo. “Try to smoke out.” Tate ordered.  
Meg couldn’t. But she could feel Tate across the bond. “Are we connected now.”  
“Yeah, forever.” Tate muttered. “Making you a servant, in Fairy terms, you're bound to do my bidding, but it will keep Crowley and the others off your butt.”  
“Thanks, I think.” Meg muttered. Tate stood on tiptoes, kissed the demon’s cheek, the a flutter of wings, she was gone, Meg was left staring at a sleeping Cas. “Clarence, I hope when you wake up… you remember I am the nice one.”  
-/-  
Merle and Daryl stopped by after they heard news of Bobby’s death. Both men had been working along the coast, taking out the bad things that hid in the water systems. With the Leviathans loose, it was every hunter all hands on deck. Tate had become a second Bobby, alongside Garth if she had to hazard a guess. She knew without a doubt that she would be running phones for a while. The Dixon boys informed her then that they would be in touch, before leaving and heading back to Atlanta. “We need a break before we start doing anything real heavy again.”  
She had only nodded, hugged them both goodbye and waved as they left. “You look at Daryl like you look at me.” Ben surprised her.  
She jumped slightly, then looked at him for a long moment. “And how do I look at you?”  
“Like your proud, mom.” Ben added the mom as an afterthought.  
“Do I now?” She teased, her mind working through the fact that Ben had referred to her as his mother, something she was pretty sure would never happen.  
“You raised him, huh?” Ben asked.  
“Not all by myself, I was around when he needed me, I guess you could say.” Tate answered honestly.  
“He’s not much younger than Sammy, did you know him and dad when they were kids?” Ben asked.  
“I knew your dad and Sammy when they were young, too.” She nodded. “Watched Sammy a lot, not so much Dean - your grandfather, John, was always more keen to take Dean with him.”  
-/-  
When Sam called, her heart had a way of dancing out of her chest. “Something's wrong.” Sam had informed her.  
“Really, what?” Tate already knew the answer, had been reading the signs for a long time.  
“You know don’t you.” Garth’s voice made her cock her head to the side.  
She looked around the dinner table. Jody was across from her and the boys all seated. “About Bobby’s ghost, yes I know. Have since he died, that’s why I couldn’t heal him.”  
The pause on the other end of the phone made her cringe. “Can we make it work?” Dean asked finally.  
“You mean keep Bobby with you guys as a hunting partner?” Tate tapped her chin. “Hasn’t been done before, but then again most hunters don’t work with angels, demons, fairies…” Her voice trailed off. “Depends on if he goes vengeful or not.”  
“If he does what do we do?” Sam asked.  
“What you have to dear, we both know the answer. Bobby stayed behind because he has unfinished business, now that is either with you two or Dick Roman.” Tate felt the bile in her throat.  
“Tate.” Sam sounded insecure.  
“Yes, Sammy?”  
“It’s with Dick isn’t it.”  
“If I had to guess, yes.” Tate responded. The static through the phone let her know Bobby was listening in, and she frowned as she hung up.  
“Pawpaw is a ghost?” Dane asked.  
“Seems like it.” Tate responded.  
“Scary ghost?” John asked.  
“No, but he might become one, right Tate?” Ben asked.  
Tate looked at Ben, her head cocked to the side, then nodded slowly. “Anything is possible.”  
-/-  
If Tate knew anything, it was that Bobby Singer had a temper, especially when it came to his boys. She was plagued that night with a dream, she realized was something from Bobby’s memories. She knew vaguely of his past, how he had killed his father to liberate his mother from the abuse, that was in fact his first true hunter lesson, ‘don’t expect a thank you’ from anyone, ever. And if she remembered right, you could double underline the ever in his opinion.  
The reason for the dream reaching her, was lost to her. But she heard him, loud and clear. The room he was standing in seemed to be a kitchen, a man she perceived to be his father next to him. The man said, “I’m your father, YOU show respect to your father.”  
Bobby looked like he’d been stung by a thousand bees, then said, “The day he deserves it. You drunken bully. Punching women and kids, is that what they call fatherhood in your day?”  
Tate smiled a little at that. When Bobby decided to adopt her it had been a struggle for many reasons. The old man looked rabid, and snarled “You deserved it. Believe me, you we're nothing but ungrateful.”  
Bobby seemed to contemplate that statement for a long moment, probably thinking over his past. “I was a kid! Kids ain't supposed to be grateful. They're supposed to eat your food and break your heart, you selfish dick! You died and I was still so afraid I'd turn into you, I never had kids of my own.”  
Tate swallowed, she could feel tears burning her eyes. She had no clue why Bobby's ghost was sharing this with her, but she was pleased. Greatful to understand another piece of Bobby.  
“GOOD.” the old man roared. “YOU break everything you touch.”  
Tate's heart sunk some. But Bobby didn't miss a beat. “Well, as fate would have it, I adopted two boys and they grew up great. They grew up heroes. Even adopted a girl, and she's the strongest person I ever met, a hero too. And I have grandkids. Three boys, and they are gonna be heroes someday. So you can go to hell!”  
The dream scape went black then. Tate was left alone in the darkness for a moment, then she felt more than saw Bobby. “Tate, I'm not in control anymore. I want you to share this dream with Sam and Dean. Let them know I love you. I love them. I should have raised them more. Take care of them for me. You and Cas, you know for an angel he ain't so bad.”  
Tate hugged him, biting back tears that threatened to fall. “BOBBY!” He was ripped away from her as she cried out.  
Jolting upright in bed, Ben's eyes wide his hand on her shoulder. She just sobbed letting the twelve year old hold her.  
Tate understood, Bobby did more than the best he could. He gave them everything.  
-/-  
She called Sam the moment she woke up. “What’s happened with Bobby?”  
“How’d you know?” Dean asked, clearly on speaker phone.  
“He came to me, in a dream.” Tate muttered, brushing out Dane’s unruly locks, she was going to work on John’s next.  
“He went a little vengeful, to say the least. Broke Charlie’s arm.” Sam muttered.  
“Who is Charlie?” Tate asked, eyebrows raised.  
Dean and Sam took turns explaining the events of the last several days. They had discovered that the missing hard drives were in the hands of Dick Roman, and he had a hacker on payroll, her name was Charlie, somehow Dean and Sam had talked her into helping them. They had ended up with some sort of stone tablet with writing on it, and Charlie was in the wind. They hadn’t heard or felt anything from Bobby since the attack.  
“So, he went darkside, and you think it drained him?” Tate asked.  
“Yea, at least we thought it did, but he cast a dream to you, right?” Sam asked.  
“He did. It was I believe from when he was avoiding the reaper who wanted to make him crossover.” Tate elaborated.  
“How do you know?” Dean asked.  
“When a reaper comes you revisit the darkest and brightest memories in you mind. This was a dark one, but his adult self was there, coaching his child self through it.” She offered.  
“Oh. Listen we're gonna need you out here, soon.” Sam muttered. “And Cas, wherever the hell he is.”  
Tate hummed into the phone. “I bound Meg to me, guess that’s what I needed to do, right?”  
Dean hummed into the phone then. “Good job, sis.”  
“Anytime, love you boys!” She cheered into the phone as the line went dead.  
Did every man in her life have trouble showing emotions. She drew herself up from the bed, and walked down stairs. Jody was watching her with curious eyes. “Phone call from the boys?”  
“Yeah. They are gonna need me out there soon.” Tate muttered.  
“I’ll take two weeks vacation, then.” Jody nodded at her, but didn’t say anything else.  
-/-  
Meg called Tate first, those were her orders. “Castiel is awake. But, he’s… different.” Tate didn’t know exactly what that meant, but she quickly hugged and kissed all three boys and said, “I love you, be back soon!”  
She landed outside the hospital then worked her way in, standing close to Meg, who wiggled her eyebrows and said, “Going to call Dean, now. But, he’s broke.”  
Cas looked relieved to see Tate. “Hey Cas.” She smiled, hugging him.  
“Tate, have you ever just, breathed.” Cas hugged her back, a wide smile on his face.  
“Uhm, Cas, yes. Do you know what woke you up?” She asked, crouched next to him, Meg returned to them, and sank down on the other side, instantly Cas has her hand in his. Tate gave her a questioning look, but dropped it.  
“No.” Cas muttered. “There are not enough animals here, did you know that? I think we could use a dog or something.”  
Tate chewed her bottom lip and nodded, Meg sent a message loud and clear across the bond. He isn’t Clarence, at all, we are going to be in trouble. Tate only nodded a second time, and leaned closer to Meg, she kissed Meg’s cheek and muttered a soft, “Thank you.”  
By the time Dean and Sam got there, Castiel had had another nap and some food, not that he liked it, but they needed to make the orderlies believe them. Dean brought something with him. The stone tablet that they had talked about over the phone.  
Castiel stared at it for a long moment, head cocked to the side, a smile on his face, he looked crazier than when the Leviathans owned his minds, at least to Dean he did. It was not lost on Dean that Cas was holding Meg’s hand, and he had to push down the surge of jealousy he felt, it was something he would reflect on later - much later.  
Castiel explained the tablet they found inside the clay is the Word of God, information from God written out on a tablet by Metatron, the celestial scribe, but he lacked the ability to read it. “Angels can’t read their dad’s writing, great.” Tate rolled her eyes, looking out the window.  
The next several events were both confusing and mildly hilarious. First, Castiel and Dean had an argument, and that sent Cas fleeing. Meg had offered a very rough glare to Dean then, “You hurt his feelings, he is probably in the rec room.” Next Sam, Meg, and Tate noticed the tablet was missing, and saw an Asian kid running with it. Tate and Sam caught him, and hauled him back to the room. Then, angels appeared, insistent on taking the boy - Kevin, with them. Tate was being held at knife point, Sam on the floor, and Meg was being used as a punching bag when Dean and Castiel reached them.  
Castiel begged for them to not do anything rash, Tate thought the fact that she had an angel blade to her neck might be kind of rash, but Dean was quick, he drew the sigil that would banish them, then slammed his blood covered palm onto it. Tate was ripped from the hospital room, and fell through the open window, crashing onto the grass.  
She saw Sam looking down at her from above, then heard him shout. “RUFUS CABIN!” Tate blinked a few times, then grunted. The sigil always fucked with her, she had pretty much decided it fucked with all winged creatures. She expanded her wings, and took off.  
-/-  
Tate arrived after Meg had killed some demons, Castiel had managed to convince a like minded angel to allow Kevin time to translate the tablet, and the angels were preparing to take Kevin home. “Abomination.” One of the angels spat the word at her, Tate rolled her eyes and strode past him, cupping Meg’s face in hand.  
Meg just nodded at her, then Tate turned her attention to Castiel, who looked conflicted, and crazy. She checked Dean over, then situated herself up against Sam’s body. “Apparently, we need the blood of a fallen angel, for the first part of the spell. Well the blood of three fallen. So, Crowley maybe, then… we need a bone of the righteous.”  
Tate watched a small smile threatening her face, as Cas stepped forward. “Always happy to bleed for the Winchesters.” He pressed the vail towards her, then he was gone.  
Tate frowned, holding Castiel’s blood in hand. She cupped the vial and looked between Sam and Dean, “Am I needed?”  
“Not now, take the blood, take it home, we can figure out the rest. Just, tell the boys we love them.” Tate nodded at Dean, then turned in Sam’s arms.  
Sam pulled her up into his arms, cradling her, then kissed her. “This will be over soon, and maybe finally we can have Christmas or something.”  
Tate laughed, but disappeared all the same. When she made it home, she tucked the vial carefully into her bible, and closed her eyes, dropping onto her mattress.  
-/-  
Kevin Tram had an older cousin, who lived with him and Mrs. Tram, his name was Glenn Rhee, and after his family was slaughtered by Demons looking for information on Kevin, he found his way to Garth and the network of hunters. Soon, he joined up with Merle and Daryl to learn everything about hunting. Tate received the first call from him, ever, following Kevin discovering that to defeat the Leviathans they needed three things. “What can you tell me about Windigos?”  
“Who is this, and why do you have Merle Dixon’s phone?” Tate asked, cautious.  
“I am Glenn Rhee, they are teaching me to hunt.” The voice snapped back.  
Tate rattled off her facts then, and when he hung up a smile tugged on her lips. There really was only two ways into the Hunting business, you were born into it, or a monster fucked your life up. She immediately texted Kevin to let him know Glenn had settled in, the Korean or whatever was doing just fine with the Dixon’s.  
-/-  
“We need the blood of the Alpha vampire.” Dean spoke into the phone.  
“Well, I can point you in his general direction.” Tate muttered.  
“Thanks, Tate.” Sam whispered into the phone, the distance and time apart was killing them.  
-/-  
“Can you come collect the vial?” Sam asked. “I’ll text you where we are.”  
The next second Tate was in front of him. “Night off?”  
“Haha, funny, Dean went out for food.” Sam was stretched out on the bed, he shook the vial in front of her face, she took it, setting it down on the table beside him, the climbed next to him, resting her head on his chest. “I miss this.” Sam whispered.  
“I miss you. Dane and John miss us both. Ben misses Dean.” She whispered back, settling against him. They laid, hands intertwined until the sound of the Impala’s engine could be heard, Tate stood, grabbed the vial, then was gone.  
-/-  
Two days passed, then once more she was summoned. Before her Castiel, Crowley, Meg all stood with Dean and Sam. She had the other two vials in hand, and watched as Crowley handed over his own blood. “You have to fight.” Dean snarled low at Cas once Crowley was gone. Castiel was still not back to normal, he had offered Crowley honey he gathered himself, and to make matters worse, Crowley was seriously enjoying the broken Cas.  
Castiel left in a flurry to get Twister, and Meg glared at Dean. Tate was pretty sure at this point if looks could kill Meg’s glares would have taken Dean out. “Because all the Leviathans were inside him at one point, he can tell them apart.”  
Tate and Meg shared a cautious look, then moved across the cabin to join Castiel in his game of Twister. Tate and Meg both felt the sudden chill, and looked up. Bobby was flickering in and out of existence on the plane. “You have to burn the flask.” He paused. “Tate has a memory to show you boys.”  
Dean and Sam didn’t waste time. The five gathered around the table, and created a miniature Hunter’s Pyre to burn the flask on. As it smoked, Tate ordered everyone, including Meg, to hold hands, and shared Bobby’s memory with them.  
Maybe it was the memory or the hopelessness on their faces, but Cas agreed to help them get to Dick Roman. A plan emerged. Tate and Meg were to drive the Impala into the building or something near it to attract attention from the guards. As soon as they did, they worked to take out any and all guards that got to close to them. A pair grabbed at Meg, but Tate moved faster, slamming them down with a force she didn’t recognize. Then several were upon her. Meg was taken and Tate managed to get away, running hard towards a familiar heartbeat.  
She almost ran straight into Sam, but Kevin caught her. “They got Meg, move, you two, out of here, I am going to make sure Dean has this.” She ordered, but she knew it didn’t stick, she broke through the office door, Sam and Kevin not far behind her. The moment they did, she watched as Castiel grabbed Dick Roman from behind, and Dean rammed the bone into him.  
-/-  
Her eyes were blown wide, fear on her face. After everything they have been through, Castiel and Dean had killed the Leviathan. In front of her Sam looked proud, but the resonating waves coming from Dick Roman’s form had her worried, she surged forward, knocking Sam back, her back to the three men. “Sam, take care…” She managed before a snap and suddenly she wasn’t looking at Sam, she was looking at darkened trees, in a world painted grey.  
Purgatory. She swallowed down more fear, and tilted her head looking up. Dean was tangled in the branches of a tree, but Castiel was beside her. “I can’t fly here, I don’t belong.” He said it simple. Tate only nodded, letting her wings flex, then gently jumped from the ground, letting the air ripple around her as she flew up to Dean’s sleeping form. She grabbed him around his shoulders, amazed that he weighed just as much as Sam, then together they clumsily dropped back towards the ground.  
“Don’t run.” She ordered Cas, as if she were in charge. “We need to stick together, your worries about Leviathan’s chasing us don’t do much good, brother, if you're gone.”  
He nodded, and together they shouldered Dean, rushing towards a place they could hide. Seeing Benny brought a smile to the young woman’s face. To say he was an old friend was an understatement. He had saved her life once, and now he was going to save theirs. He led them into a cave, darkened by the grey colors of the world they were now in, and they settled for the night. Cas looked concerned, his whole body stiff. “I need to tell you something, Tate, if I don’t make it out of here.”  
“Tell me what?” Her voice echoed is the small seams of the cave.  
“That you were lied to.” He stated it so simply, so easily that she wonders what in the hell he is talking about, her eyebrows detray her, darting up, and her head tilted to the side in wonderment. “You were never infused with demon blood.” Again Cas breathed hard through his nose. “You are half angel. Your sister was too, before she gave up that part of her. Your father…” His voice dripped off, “Your father is Gabriel.” Tate’s eyes narrowed. “He refused to marry your mortal mother, so she married a mortal man. Then, when you were taken by demons it was because of what you already where.” Cas paused letting even Dean catch up with his revaluation. “You are half-angel, a quarter Fae, and a quarter human.”  
“That’s why I can heal you guys.” She muttered, apparently not as phased by it as Dean had been when he discovered Angels were real the first time, or that demons existed on a much higher learning curve than they should.  
“We killed your dad.” Dean sounded ashamed of himself, which made Tate roll her eyes.  
“He’s not dead. He is back to being the trickster.” She offered. “At least he was before we went off to our apparent deaths. I hope Sammy does what I told him to.”  
“What did you tell him to do?” Castiel asked.  
“Told him to raise the boys normal if anything happened to both of us tonight, Dean.” She offered. Then she tucked herself against the wall, letting tears drip from her green eyes, a thin blanket Benny had thrown over her to conceal her shaking shoulders.  
“We might not get out of here.” Cas offered to Dean, looking between himself and Tate.  
“Hell no. It’s all or nothing.” Dean snarled. “No way in hell am I leaving Sam’s happily ever after and you down here.”  
“Why bother with me, I only make messes.” Cas asked the darkness that settled.  
“I need you.” Dean responded, stretching out on the cave floor next to Cas’s sitting form. Both Dean and Tate needed sleep, the human in them required a reset. He was not sure how much Benny slept, if ever.  
When the first darkened rays of the morning sun rose, Tate was already awake and moving. She had ditched her human appearance, and her human clothes. Once more Dean was at a loss for words, with the honest beauty of her. Her skin was a darker dingier green theses days more brown than yellow, he realized, but the veins ran over her body, making her look like a priestess painted for war. Her wings looked longer and larger here in Purgatory. She wore a dress made out of leaves and grasses. Cas looked her over, then nodded. “Good, blend in with locals.”  
Benny chuckled. “I’d team up with the Angel, half Angel, and human in Purgatory….”  
-/-  
Time was different in Purgatory, and they literally had to fight each step of every day. They paused occasionally to drink from the creeks they found, or to rinse their faces off. Staying clean was a joke, and more than once a nicely landed stab had left Tate or Dean pouring blood.  
For once, Tate and Benny had declared they were on first watch, which left Dean and Castiel alone in the makeshift house cave they had found as the sun was setting. Castiel felt hopeless, like there was no order left in life, his eyes pressed into his palms. Dean looked between the light filtering in through the caves opening and Cas’s form, eventually he settled down beside Cas, and snaked an arm around him. “What’s goin’ on in your brain, Cas?”  
“Huh?” Cas looked up from his hands, at Dean’s face a couple inches from his.  
“What are you thinking about?” Dean asked again.  
“There is a damn good chance that when the time comes I won’t be able to leave with you.” Cas said slow and low, his eyes trained on the cave floor.  
“If that is the situation, Tate and Benny go back. There is no me, if there is no you.” Dean informed him, hugging him a little tighter around the middle.  
“What? You would stay here?” Cas raised an eyebrow.  
“To know that I left you behind would kill me.” Dean offered. “Cas, listen, man, what we got, it ain’t normal - it’s never going to be normal, I’d like to think you have feelings, right?”  
Cas cocked his head to the side, and nodded. “Yes, I feel things, mostly things in regards to you.” Dean had to force back a smile at that.  
“Good, I love you Cas, not like a brother, not like a sister, just… love you.” Dean explained the best he could.  
“I love you too, Dean. Everything I have done since I met you, in regards to choices has been to help you, to… give you the upper hand.” Cas offered.  
Dean wasn’t sure how to make the next move. Cas was still not feeling up to par, Dean could tell, but more than anything he knew he might never see Sammy again, he would be damned if Tate didn’t make it back to Sammy. Dean reached out tentatively, tucking two fingers under Cas’s chin, and maneuvered his chin up, then gently pressed his lips against Castiel’s. Cas gasped in surprise, but soon moved against the kiss, trying to mimic Dean’s movements, his hands clenching in Dean’s jacket.  
-/-  
Sam looked between John and Dane. Ben was riding shotgun, his head pressed against the window, blanket tossed over him. They were fast asleep in the backseat of his car. Curled up together. For the first time in three days he had to just breathe. Kevin Tram and his mother had been spirited away thanks to Garth, something Sam would eventually think the other hunter for. But, he had made a promise, to both Dean and Tate. If they both died, he and the boys would hide, remove themselves from the life, settle somewhere. He had not had much time really to reflect on the fact that John and Dane were lost, just like him. Hell, Ben had not had a moment of normal since Dean wondered back into his life.  
The only family they had ever known gone now. Tate, Dean, and Cas disappeared in a crackling of sound, consumed by grey blinding light. Sam had no clue where to look for them. After Castiel double crossed Crowley, Crowley had vanished into thin air, taking Meg with him. Sure, the twins knew Sam was their father, but he didn’t know how to take care of six year olds, shit they were really only about a year old if he counted back right. And he had no clue how to manage Ben, the sullen twelve year old.  
He was so caught up in his thoughts that he didn’t see the dog. He hit it. The resounding thump had him frowning. He was out of the car before he thought about it, the shaggy tri colored mutt was still breathing to his relief. The boys were awake, and startled. “Dad?” Dane asked, cautious.  
“Sammy?” Ben rubbed sleep from his eyes, but climbed into the back seat when he saw Sam attempting to maneuver the dog into the car. Any other kid and Sam might have fussed about the use of his nickname, but honestly this was Dean, in kid version, and he loved that someone was still going to call him Sammy.  
“It’s ok, boys, let’s find a vet.” Sam declared. They drove until they saw the animal hospital sign. The twins out of the Impala, and holding the door open, even as Sam and Ben worked the injured dog out of the front seat and into the building.  
The next couple hours were a blur, he met the rather grumpy lady who was the vet. Amelia, and frowned. She was pretty rude, demanding he take the dog. The boys wanted the pouch, and decided to name it Riot. Sam rolled his eyes, but eventually relented. The motel was pay by the week, and soon they settled in.  
Sam knew Tate wanted normal for the boys, knew Dean wanted normal for Ben, but he knew that eventually they would blow out of town, so he focused on getting everything squared away from homeschooling the boys. With Garth’s help he managed to make fake birth certificates for them, as well as documentation that Tate had passed away, and he was their only parent. Riot, the devious beast he was, wormed his way into sleeping in the bed with Sam.  
Ben slept on the fold out hid-a-couch. The twins slept one on each side of him, and for the first time in Sam’s life, he knew what a real home was supposed to be. He did a lot of reading on how to parent, but in the end decided to ask himself “What would John Winchester do in this situation?” And do the exact opposite. So when they wanted ice cream for breakfast, it happened. When both boys wanted to play at the park for hours on end, it happened. When they asked to play soccer on the rec league, it happened. When Ben said he wanted to walk to town, and go to the arcade, it happened.  
After three weeks, he lucked into the job at the motel. Repairman. It sounded nice, he could just blend in here, a single dad, with three awesome kids. He had some issues, in the start. Figuring out the key differences between his sons. Dane was a lot like Dean, head strong, the typical older brother type. John was a lot like him. They both were probably the cutest kids he had ever seen, they had the same rounded nose as their mother. Then there was Ben, who was at this strange stage in development where he wanted to rebel but with Sam in charge, he had nothing to really rebel against. In many ways it felt like Sam was raising a miniature Dean.  
He had to remind John and Dane sometimes, to tuck their wings, but when it was just them, he let them roam the house in their boxers, wings free and skin tinged brown and green, like a small forest grew within each one of them. As the days passed, their eyes seemed to change or maybe he was noticing them for the first time. John’s were blue, like Cas’s angel orbs, with green forest like flecks in them. Dane’s eyes were just like Tate’s emerald and bright, with orange and brown flecks dancing through them.  
It took some adjusting, and some quick thinking, but somehow, they made a home. Four Winchesters and a dog named Riot. They hid, blended in, and somehow he fell into a relationship with Amelia. It wasn’t love, not in the way he had loved Jessica or in the way he loved Tate, it was shared broken pieces, both had lost loved ones. Sam maybe more so than Amelia, but… all the same, they bought a house, both Ben and his sons adjusted to being around Amelia.  
Then, just like everything with Sam, the bottom fell out. Her dead soldier husband was alive, and returning home. Sam packed up the boys, and they left Riot with Amelia. “I am just giving you space, time to think, ok?” He lied, he knew he was never coming back. He kissed her goodbye, and loaded the boys up. In the Impala, he sped away from just another failure.  
Several hours later, they were in a town he knew well. Lawrence, Kansas. He rented a room at the nearby motel, and helped the boys settle in. “Lock the door, I will be back soon, promise.” They knew it was a food and beer run. The boys turned on the television and settled into the cartoons. Ben would be in charge until he returned home.  
When Sam came back, he made dinner, and the four settled into bed. Dean called, and his heart jump started in his chest. It was three in the morning, he carried the sleeping boys to the car, watched Ben double check all the corners and under the bed in the hotel room, then loaded up their stuff, he flew down the road, headed towards Rufus’s cabin.  
-/-  
The blue portal was above them, as Dean was chanting the latin verses needed to absorb Benny. Part of the deal was returning him topside, since he had helped them out. She looked at Cas. “Fae don’t belong here, right?” He nodded, confusion on his face. Dean watched with rapt interest. “Et purga animam meam. Animam meam do vobis. Esto, ita poterit.” She chanted it under her breath, then reached inside herself, under her rib cage. Dean had seen Cas do that to other people, when checking the validity of their soul.  
A shimmering blue green rope seemed to flow from her hand as she pulled it back from her ribs, then she pressed it forward, Dean watched his eyes wide as the rope seemed to dance over Cas’s neck, then seep down his lips into him. She panted. “Gave you the human part.” Then swayed dropping into Dean’s arms.  
“Shit.” Dean whispered, scooping her up. “Come on, Cas.”  
Cas whimpered, tears in his eyes amazed at what Tate was willing to give up for their family, but followed. The three slipped through the hole, it was suffocating, and they had no clue where the seam let them out into the real world at. Tate was still looking more Fae than human, and Dean could tell by watching her and Cas they were resonating with each other. “How do I give it back?” Cas asked, his eyes a strange mixture of the color Dean knew to be his and a brown Dean realized belonged to the human part of Tate.  
“Non est anima mea ad postulare. Eiciam Castiel corripio e stratis corpus denuo me totum.” Cas felt the rip, his whole body contorted, dropping to his knees, as the greenish blue liquid of soul slithered from his open mouth, and shot straight back into her chest.  
“No need to go un Fae, yet, we don’t have any clothes for you, and we have no clue where we are.” Dean grumbled. Tate tentatively tucked her wings, and looked at the other two. They were covered completely in dirt, grime and blood. There had been no need to clean themselves off regularly while in Purgatory, they just continued to kill and be filthy. Not that it mattered, what they killed in monster heaven just came back a couple days later.  
They trekked through the wilderness, Cas behind Tate, with Dean in the lead. The last nights in Purgatory, Cas and Dean had snuggled tight to one another, holding each other, against the world. Dean was a hunter, a murderer, just like Tate. Even with Cas as an Angel of the Lord, there was something more divine in watching the two of them take out monsters, than him palm their foreheads, until purity exploded them. Benny seemed to be alright with the comradery the four shared, and more than once Tate laid with her head in his lap, his thick wool coat tossed over her form. Benny and Cas kept watch, while the more human members slept.  
The noises the woods of Earth made, were nothing compared to the howls and yips that had plagued them whilst in purgatory. The smoldering of a fire brought them to a couple camping. “Where are we?” Dean snarled, grabbing at the boy’s shirt tail.  
He had no response. Tate cautiously moved past Dean. “Which direction is the road?” She inquired, her childlike grace making the female answer.  
“North, about twelve miles.” She pointed. “We are in Maine!” She called after them.  
Cas caught Dean around the middle, pulling him back from the younger man, and off they went. Storming through the woods. By dawn’s light they could see a clear pattern. Their bodies were stronger and molded from being on the run constantly, moving gracefully and forcefully. Tate was the strongest she had ever been, in Castiel’s eyes. They reached the road by lunch, and soon found a house, no one was home, so they slipped in.  
Tate raided the little girls room. Finding a simple summer dress and cowboy boots that would fit well enough. She rinsed off quickly in the shower, and frowned looking at her hair. They had cut it, early on in their days. The flaming red was an attention grabber. Cas had had enough magic to alter it, turn it darker, and Dean and sawed the locks off with his blade. Now standing in the small bathroom of the borrowed house, dripping wet, she took sheers to it, herself. Turning the black locks into a pixie cut, that tapered and framed her face.  
When she emerged from the bathroom, Dean had a plaid button up ready for her, “They had a son to.” She smiled. The simple yellow of the summer dress looked nice with the blue and green plaid shirt over it. The boots were comfortable enough. Cas was cleaned up, wearing blue jeans and t-shirt, his trench coat overtop, it was kind of his signature. Dean had his own plaid shirt on, and had packed their belongings in a bag he found. “Let’s move, now.” He ordered.  
They hitchhiked and walked most of the way, to a small town, following Benny’s directions. The old abandoned windmill towered into the night sky. Dean and Cas dug into the ground, while Tate found them dinner. She thanked the rabbits she killed, and started cooking them over a low fire, on the fringes of the forest, far enough from the road no one would see them, but close enough to keep an eye on Dean, Cas, and Benny.  
“Thank you.” Benny said, clasping Dean’s arm.  
“Anytime.” Dean nodded at Benny, “We all owe you.”  
“That we do.” Cas agreed, his mind dancing back to when the trio had finally accepted Benny as one of their own. Cas was down, a Levithan on him, ready to bite, when Benny had cut its head off. Tate had been back to back with Dean, fighting off three at once. He remembered Dean’s strangled cry for him, but it was the way that Dean looked at Benny when it was done. The realization that he could be trusted, they all knew that now Benny understood. Cas was more important to Dean than even Tate was.  
Benny decided he wanted to be a drifter, he had a vampire he had to kill, and left them before the sun was up. “I say we get a car.” Tate said finally. They had told Benny to contact them if he ever need anything, assuming their phones still worked correctly, and that a year in Purgatory had not killed their cell phone plans.  
“We get a car?” Cas asked, watching the little girl move down the overgrown hill. Dean was a step or two behind her, his head turned back to look at Cas.  
“Yup, to head to the cabin.” She responded. “Assuming Sam didn’t look for us, if he had he would have fought through Purgatory to get us…” She muttered. “Since he didn’t and he’s not dead, I’d feel that on the bond… I can only assume that he did what he promised. Got him and the boys out of the life.”  
“So the cabin?” Dean asked watching her as she took off down the road.  
“Yes, so we can get some phones and junk, call Sam, hook up with Gabe and Balthazar at the Cabin, contact Garth about Kevin Tram… Basically see what’s happened the last year.” She continued one.  
“You just said Sam wasn’t in the life. Why would we call him?” Cas asked.  
“Cause I am a selfish son of a bitch, and I want him, Ben, and my sons back.” She snapped.  
Cas and Dean shared a look, fingers intertwined, both smiling at one another. “Good.” Dean said. “Because we want him around too.”  
She rolled her eyes but continued on. When they reached the small town, she found an easy enough car to take. An older Volkswagon Bug. She got it started, then climbed into the backseat. Dean behind the wheel, and Cas next to him.  
-/-  
“Dad, who's here?” Dane asked, cautiously watching the cabin.  
“Not sure. I’m going to call Gabriel, and see where he is.” Sam said, looking back. Dane was awake, with John’s head on his shoulder. It reminded him of how more than once he had fallen asleep on Dean. Sam dialed the numbers, then put the phone to his ear. “Gabriel, you at the cabin?”  
“Yeah, come on up.” Gabriel responded.  
Sam could hear the liquor swashing next to the phone’s mouthpiece, and smiled. Somethings never change. “Dean call you?”  
“Yeah, they are on their way.” Balthazar grumbled, then the phone disconnected.  
Waiting for Tate was hard, Sam had missed her, but he had moved on. She was very much coming back from the dead, just like Amelia’s husband Don had. Very much reappearing out of thin air.  
Balthazar was cooking, something that made Sam smile a little bit, after everything they had been through a warrior angel of God was cooking dinner in the living room of an abandoned cabin, for his loved ones who were returning from Purgatory. How strange, that this felt more normal than months with Amelia ever had.  
Gabriel was his usual self, talking to John and Dane about everything under the sun, some of which seven olds had no business hearing. Ben was laughing, his thirteenth birthday had came and past, and they had opted to celebrate the twins birthday on that day as well.  
The low rumble of a car up the drive made all of those in the house look out the front window, concern and excitement etched onto their faces. In the slow ticking of time, it seemed like the car would never reach the cabin, and the road would forever be full of the blinding light of the car.  
-/-  
“We should also find Meg.” Cas said it easily.  
Dean shot him a look. “Miss your girlfriend?” He teased.  
“Meg isn’t my girlfriend. No romantic interest there.” Cas grumbled.  
“He’s right.” Tate managed.  
“And how do you suggest we do that?” Dean asked.  
“Summon her?” Tate dared.  
“Really.” They had left Benny two days ago, and were shacked up at a local hotel. They had about another day’s drive until they reached the cabin. Dean was stretched out on the bed, his hands under his head.  
“Really.” Tate responded. She was muttering under her breath. Gathering up the supplies that she and Cas had worked hard collecting the last couple days. “We are going to summon her.”  
“I’m actually really ok with that.” Dean muttered. “Except, Cas, better let her know, you're not romantically…” His voice trailed off.  
Tate rolled her eyes. “Jealous of a demon, much.” She muttered it under her breath. Cas was already drawing the sigil needed to call forth Meg. A circle in the center sitting in a closed triangle, with three sigils drawn in the corners, swirls that meant nothing to Dean, as he watched. The bowl she placed in the middle of the circle, at each tip of the triangle, she lit a candle.  
Dean didn’t even want to know what ingredients they used. Meg wasn’t a low level run of the mill demon, she was a little higher on the food chain, at least she had been. With Crowley behind the wheel of Hell, summoning her might be a little bit more of an issue. He looked outside to see most of the sigil’s they had drawn were intricate, and guarded not against all demons and angels, only those that meant to do harm to those within.  
“Attenrobendum eos, ad consiendrum, ad ligandum eos, potiter et solvendum, et ad, congregontum eos, 'coram me.” She chanted. Cas just watched her, eyes wide, like he was learning new things every single day. Cas had a way of taking everything in. Dean found it sweet and irritating at the same time.  
A low rumble moved through the room, then Meg in her familiar body appeared. Dark hair dancing around her. Tate didn’t even care about the circle, she threw herself at Meg, hugging the demon tight. “Tate!” Meg hissed, kissing at her head.  
Their friendship was a unique one, that would not have occurred had it not been for the Winchesters, and Cas was in the circle, hugging Meg, and letting her know he was Cas - not mentally unstable Cas. Dean even joined in the hug. Wrapping the three of them up in his arms. His father would never have stood for this, the relationships they were building with monsters.  
“I have news.” Meg said finally as they broke the hug.  
“News?” Cas asked.  
“Abbadon, there are whispers that she is the rightful ruler of Hell. But at this moment, no one can find her. Crowley is afraid, to some degree that she will materialize at any moment. Crowley, by the way has Kevin Tram.” Meg responded.  
“How?” Tate asked.  
“I believe because Sam didn’t answer his phone when Kevin tried to call for help. Garth was on a hunt, and Kevin’s mom was killed.” Meg responded. “I only heard part of it.”  
“Well, we will figure it out.” Dean grumbled.  
Dean surveyed the room. He hated to admit it, but these were the people he trusted the most. Sam was damaged, flawed. Not that the bitchy demon Meg was not broken, and the mutt Tate was not damaged, and there was no denying that Cas had caused more trouble than he had fixed… Gabriel was afraid of his siblings, worried about what would happen to him if Lucifer knew he was alive. Benny he could count along with those in the room. Benny would be one hell of a hunter, if Sam would go for that.  
When Dean refocused on the conversation, Tate was telling Meg about Purgatory, and about Benny. Meg’s interest spiked hearing about the old vampire. “I think I’d like to meet him.”  
“In due time.” Cas muttered, already stretched out shoulder to foot with Dean on the bed. He was exhausted, and although he as an Angel didn’t need to sleep, his vessel did. Jimmy Novak broke the surface for a moment, then he thundered off into sleep.  
Dean was already beside him, snuggled to the Angel, head on his arms, and eyes closed. Meg crawled into bed with Tate, eyes wide. “Purgatory, man.” She whispered, Tate laughed a little under her breath, and muttered softly, “You have no idea, darling.” To Meg. The two snuggled up, relieved to be away from danger, even if just for the night.  
-/-  
As they were getting ready to leave and head for the cabin. “Do you want me to bind you again?” Tate asked, eyes curious.  
“Yes, how’d you know?” Meg asked.  
“Easy, you were thinking it loudly.” Cas offered.  
Meg realized she felt the bind without Tate ever even touching her. “Found out I am more Angel than anything else.” She explained.  
Tate and Meg were quickly tucked into the back of the bug, and silence befell the four. “We are the fallen.” Dean muttered to anyone and everyone.  
“Aren't you a bucket of sunshine.” Meg muttered. Tate rolled her eyes. Cas just pressed his head against the window, letting his hand rest dangerously close to Dean’s leg, only to have Dean link his finger’s in Cas’s.  
-/-  
Ben watched the arrival of his family. Tate was the first one out of the car, Meg trailed out after her, then Dean and Cas. A small smile tugged at his lips as he watched Cas hang onto his father, as if the world was going to end the moment he let go. Tate surged past the others, her footsteps hitting the ground hard, slamming into Sam. Sam grinned to himself, as his wife knocked him off his feet. Their kiss was more teeth and tongue then sweet, but a year apart had damn near left them hungry - in ways neither of them could explain.  
Dean was amazed when Ben slammed into him, his arms tight around his middle, Ben drew Castiel into the hug the next moment, and they stood their holding each other. Gabriel and Balthazar emerged from the cabin, with Dane and John in arms. Tate hugged her children to her, then slammed into Gabriel’s arms, “You're my dad!” She breathed him in, crying against his shoulder.  
Gabriel eyed Castiel for a moment, then accepted the affection, holding tight to her. “I love you Tate, and your sister.” He sighed. “Never should have let you be raised by that dreadful human woman.”  
Balthazar muscled past his brother, and hugged Tate. “Hey, missed you brat.” That night they all sat around the cabin, discussing the last year of their lives. Those who had not been in Purgatory watched in awe the way Castiel rested close to Dean, and Dean didn’t mention the first time the personal space business. It was still early when Sam tugged Tate off to bed, with whispered promises and kisses that burned their skin.  
-/-  
Rosabella couldn’t stay out of trouble. Garth called her, this time, “Your sister is threatening an entire town. I know the rules, when it comes to Rosa we call you in.”  
Tate pinched the bridge of her nose, and looked at Sam, he was fast asleep in their shared bed. They had been at the cabin for about a week, deciding what the next steps would be. Meg offered to remain with the children, from that point forward, and everyone agreed that was a good idea.  
Balthazar and Gabriel had left the first night, important business they had grumbled out. Castiel had left with them briefly, he needed to be debriefed in Heaven, then he returned the following morning. Tate looked over Sam once more, and sighed. She pulled on a sweater, her green cargo skinny jeans, and her combat boots. She tugged her hair into a messy bun, and snapped her fingers. Gabriel had taught her how to do it.  
She arrived in Memphis, and was caught in a somewhat irritating rainstorm. It didn’t take her long to flush out her sister. “Rosa.” Her voice growled.  
“Tate.”  
“You could call?”  
“Don’t believe in phones. Heard you were dead.”  
“Had a little Purgatory themed vacation.”  
“Oh, was it worth it.”  
“Yes, what do you want, sister?”  
“I want to kill you.”  
“How are you going to do that, Rosa, we are equally matched.”  
“Been feeding on demons.”  
Tate sighed, her brow furrowing. “That doesn’t sound sanitary.”  
“Oh, jokes for everything, huh?”  
“I guess you could say that, I’m a real stand up girl.”  
Rosa looked at her for a long minute, a smile almost cracking on her face. They were about eight feet apart, under a loud freeway bridge, eyes glinting and locked on each other. “No back up?”  
“Didn’t need Gabe and Balti for this.”  
“Are you sure?”  
“No, but, Rosa, why do you insist on wanting to kill me, my friends?”  
“Get bored I guess, heard you were out of lock up - thought I’d see if your skills were rusty.”  
Tate rolled her eyes, she didn’t have the heart to tell her sister that Purgatory was no walk in the park. She had literally killed at least one thing a day. “Rosa, it doesn’t have to be like this.”  
“Forever trying to convince me to be better.” Rosa rolled her eyes then surged forward, blade in hand, she nailed Tate in the ribs, as Tate raised her own blade, removing Rosa’s head in one go.  
She felt more than saw Garth. “Burn her, not like a hunter, just burn her.” Tate staggered backwards for a moment then looked down at the blade embedded in her flesh, it looked like a bastardized angel blade. It was sharpened and thin, with engravings she didn’t understand.  
Garth made it to her moments before she hit the ground. He had watched her try to free the blade from her skin, but it just wouldn’t come. Garth managed to pull the blade out, and once he looked over the ruins his heart sunk. She had been poisoned. Garth rushed her to the nearest hospital, and waited. Almost two hours later Tate disappeared, something Garth no longer took as an insult.  
-/-  
Cas frowned when he saw the angel blade. she didn't need his face to know how fucked they we're. if Her sister could get her hands on that powerful of magic they had bigger fish to fry. Cas had growled not a word of this to anyone before he left and Tate was more than OK to abide by his rule. She had promised to teach Charlie some hunting things. So she zipped back to the Bunker and clambered into the shower.  
-/-  
The trials were supposed to be Dean’s to do. Not Sammy’s. Dean was furious. After everything, everything, Sammy was the one hurting. Gabriel, Meg, Ben, Dane, and John were hiding out in the bunker. The bunker that had belonged to the Men of Letters. Dean guessed these days all the Winchester crowd belonged to the group. Not only were they hunters but they were also avidly recording histories of their own for future generations.  
Cas had lost it, again. Dean frowned at that thought, even now, watching angels bomb from the sky his heart was breaking. Castiel had promised not to go on with closing the gates, to wait until they sorted Sammy out. But, instead Cas had muttered something about needing to talk to Naomi, then he was gone. The same Naomi who had almost had Dean killed by Cas. Dean was lucky his repeated plea of “I love you, I need you”, to Cas had pulled him out of her control.  
The downside, was Castiel remembered literally every mission he had ever been sent on by her, and because of that he was more concerned now than ever that he needed to make things right with heaven. Even if that meant, locking up shop for a couple decades. Metatron had promised rainbows and kittens, but Dean was pretty sure it was a trick.  
With angels literally falling from heaven, Dean knew calling Gabriel would be a shit shot, he never showed up in a timely manner unless it was something he deemed important. Balthazar for that matter would take a couple hours to answer a prayer anyway, that was just who he was.  
Tate was teaching Charlie to hunt, simple haunting, a couple states over. Dean muttered a low, “Damnit Cas,” then prayed hoping the half angel could hear him. “Tate, I don’t know if your angel radio works or not, but it’s Sammy, we need your help, could you get your feathery ass over here. Amen.”  
No sooner than the prayer was finished, she was in front of him. Her hair was starting to grow back and the black was fading out, Charlie had her hands on Tate’s ribs, like clearly she had been brought along on the ride. Charlie staggered to the left, then proceeded to vomit. “Angel travel sucks.” She muttered, on her knees, still heaving.  
“What happened?” Tate asked, her eyes glancing nervously at the night sky. “I don’t think I have enough juice to zap him anywhere.” She muttered, helping Dean move him into the car.  
“Help Crowley.” Dean ordered her. Pointing towards the church.  
Tate wound her way in, and found Crowley stretched out on the floor, looking like he was half dead. “Promise not to try to hurt the Winchesters.” She ordered. He didn’t so much as move. She un cuffed him, drug him behind her, and loaded him into the truck, smiling at the devil's trap on the hood. “We can let you out in a bit.” She told him. “Once you feel better. You look like shit.”  
“Abaddon…” He muttered, his whole body convulsing. “Means to take over Hell.”  
Tate frowned. “You can’t fight her, not in this state, Crowley you know that.” Charlie was beside her looking down at the man. “Close the trunk, we can talk to him, once we get home.”  
Tate rounded the car and looked at Dean. “I need to find Cas. The last thing I heard was him praying to me, since his grace has been stripped.”  
“Cas is human?” Dean muttered, his eyebrows raised.  
“Yes, he’s praying again, I’m going to use what I have left to land near him. I’ll call Gabe once I am there, ok?” She asked, looking into the car. “Take care of my husband.”  
“You got it.” Dean patted her hand, then felt the familiar swoosh of wings as she took off.  
-/-  
The collapse had left Sam on life support. Dean didn’t even try for the bunker, instead he and Charlie rushed Sam into the first hospital they reached. Sam was fast asleep inside himself. Cas without powers, and Tate looking for him. Dean was on edge. The three people he loved most, other than Bobby were nowhere around.  
Gabriel appeared around noon, driving a minivan. “I am here to see my sons!” He declared. Not the best cover, but it had worked. Gabriel marched into the hospital room, followed closely by Meg who had a hand held by each of the twins, and Ben headed up the rear. His son looked more and more like a hunter everyday. Lately Dean and Ben had argued about him not being allowed to go on hunts.  
Balthazar appeared a moment later, winking at Ben. “Caught some prayers from this fellow over here about his uncle Sammy. The problem is, with all the angels falling and Heaven shutting down, were are not exactly powered up.” He motioned between himself and Gabriel.  
“Where is Tate?” Meg asked, cautiously.  
“Looking for Castiel, still?” Gabriel asked, eyes trained on Dean.  
“Last I heard, yea. Hope they haven't ran into any trouble with the damn Angel bombs on earth now.” Dean grumbled, watching his little brother cautiously. Both his nephews looked closer to seven than six these days and were tall. The climbed into his lap, snuggling against him.  
Meg took a seat at the window, sprawled out like a cat, Gabriel noisily scraped a chair along the floor to sit beside Sam’s head. Charlie stretched out next to Meg, their bodies touching almost innocently. Dean wouldn’t say he was an expert, but seeing Meg and Charlie together, he could understand. Broken pieces that fit right. Balthazar helped get the boys situated, and a fun game of monopoly was started up.  
So far the prognosis, “It’s in God’s hands.” The doctor had said, was not something any of them were comfortable with.  
-/-  
“Where the hell are we?” Cas asked.  
“Colorado, maybe.” Tate muttered, looking around.  
“Damn.” Castiel snarled.  
Tate pulled him from the road, before they were hit. “Can I help you two?”  
“Yes, we need a ride.” Tate muttered.  
“I’d fly, but no wings.” Cas snarled.  
The ride was quiet, Tate in the middle between a burly man and Cas. She was tired, exhausted from two long distance zaps in one twenty four hours period. Since coming to terms with being half angel Gabriel had been teaching her things, simple things that all angels could do. She was still an abomination, to most of the angels they met, but oh well.  
The mom and pop diner the man dropped them off at had a garage attached to it. Tate was limping, following behind Cas, both looking tattered and exhausted. The nice man had given them money for food and the phone. A man was already using the phone when they approached, and Cas, apparently forgot his lack of angel qualities, inadvertently picked a fight.  
Tate watched as Cas tried to soul drop him, no prevail. Tate grabbed at Cas’s arms, failing against him. A female approached. Tate listened apparently her name was Hail. She was one of the ejected angels. Cas could see that Tate wasn’t feeling well, he motioned for her to climb on his back. “What’s an Angel with no wings?”  
They found a place to sit and talk, Cas kept Tate in his arms, afraid that the new angel, Hail might not take well to the abomination, and more than willing to fight. Tate fluttered in and out of awareness, as Cas’s heart broke. All the angels that had fallen, all were lesser ones if he was reading this right. Cas was trying to explain free will to the young angel before him.  
-/-  
Dean was not in the best of moods. He was not about to take “Sammy is going to die.” As the only truth. He sent them all away, every single one of them, including Charlie. Banished them. Then he prayed, hard. To any angel that would listen. He knew Tate picked up Angel radio, maybe if she had not found Cas she would come home. Maybe… maybe there were angels out there that could help him.  
When he thought that failed, he did his best to get Crowley’s help, only to be interrupted by an Angel seeking Cas. Dean had no Godly idea where Cas was, but lied through his teeth anyway. Saved by Ezekiel, he was weighing his options. “It's the best of a bad situation.” Ezekiel started, his eyes watching Dean. Dean was pacing, he had his ass kicked by angels who were looking for Cas, he had no clue where Tate was, and Sam… was on the edge of death.  
-/-  
Cas made the call to Dean, furious and heartbroken, he wanted to help this angel Hail, but he needed to be with Dean, too. Tate still in his arms, he turned his back to the fallen and took two steps away. Hail, irrational and angry, grabbed a brick, slamming it into the back of Castiel’s head. Both Tate and Cas crashed into the gravel parking lot.  
“Won’t need the abomination.” She drug Cas’s body to the car, loaded him, then took off. It was later, when rain fluttered from the sky that Tate woke up. Gasping for air, and alone. The voice that woke her, was Cas, praying to her. She felt the pull before she realized it, and groaned as her wings took flight.  
-/-  
Cas was on the side of the road, a dead angel not far from him. “Castiel.” She gasped.  
“Tate, I have something I need you to do, and I have no right to ask it of you.” Castiel muttered.  
“Anything, Cas?” She breathed.  
“I’m going on the road, on the run. I need you to retrieve Adam Winchester from Hell, can you do that? He is locked in the box with Lucifer and Michael.” Cas asked, eyes wide.  
“Why?” She inquired.  
“Because trust me when I say we will need him.” Castiel was already walking away from her.  
Tate breathed in hard, concentrating her mind on the Impala, and willed herself to it. As she touched down she hauled Crowley from the trunk. “We're gonna make a deal, buster brown.” She snarled at him.  
Crowley was still cuffed, and looking a little under the weather. “Really, a Winchester make a deal.” He sounded more snide than anything else. He didn’t sound surprised, and in a moment of fleeting understanding she realized that he had a point, their family died for each other almost fucking weekly, and by now they should know that making deals only got them from one frying pan to another.  
“Listen up, and listen good.” She snarled. “I need into Hell, gotta get my brother in law out. You are going to make me half demon, to go with my half angel parts, so I can walk through hell.” She snarled. “In exchange you have have my fairy soul. Only that part of my soul.” She snapped.  
“Fairy soul, in Hell, how sweet.” Crowley crowed. “What else is in it for me?” He snapped.  
“I put you back in the trunk instead of killing you?” She snapped., her eyes darkened. Crowley believed her, she would definitely kill him.  
“You sound a lot like the moose you married.” He shot back, irritated.  
“Deal or no?” She snarled.  
“I’ll do you a favor.” Crowley sighed. “I’ll send you body and all to the portion of Hell the box is in. I’ll fill you half full with demon blood, and even send you a letter to make sure you have safe passage.”  
“The price?” She asked.  
“Nah, I don’t want your soul or any of the souls you could offer me. I have needs for your husband and his brother. The moose and squirrel are very useful, even you are useful princess.” Crowley responded.  
Crowley gestured towards her with the cuffs, and with a wave of her wrist they opened. He reached forward, pushing his hand against her chest, she gasped open mouthed her whole body painted in pain, withering. Her eyes slammed close, her breathing hazarded. When they opened again, one was her usual shimmering green Riddick like eye, and the other was solid black like a regular demons. She waved her wrist, Crowley was shut back into the trunk, even as she heard the hounds barking and nipping. She stood perfectly still, and waited for the beast to pause in front of her. Hand up, “I’ll go with you.” She reached out for the beast, threading her fingers through it’s blood coated hairs.  
She felt the beast surge forward, her face relaxed. It grabbed her by the neck, then she felt the fire consume her, for a moment she thought she saw Dean’s face, but that was a mistake, surely. She gasped for air as she was falling. Her body landed with a hard thud on flaming grounds, her eyes looking up. She had no clue how far into the pit she was, gasping for air, she could feel the heat licking at her flesh, if she misstepped she soon learned that her actual flesh burned bright, and painful.  
It was not a walk in the park. It took her energy, and she was constantly fighting, constantly moving. She lost track of the days, the nights, and found herself having to slip past demons much older than her. It was in the darkest, bluest flames that she found the box. The moment she stepped too close, it felt like her head was going to explode. She could hear Michael and Lucifer, conversing, on a more spiritual level. She reached out with her soul, tentatively, and felt the low pulse that she realized was Adam.  
She pressed her hands to the box, her forehead to the flaming metal. Focusing her energies, she pressed forward. Fae were talented at getting in and out of things they didn’t belong in. She tumbled forward into the floor, landing next to Adam, her forehead cracking the ground. Both bright souls paused their discussion.  
“If it isn’t Gabriel’s daughter.” Lucifer sneered.  
“Lucifer, uncle.” She wiped her hands roughly on her jeans, and stood, spitting blood from her mouth, and looking up as both angels took a lighter form, so she could look at them without dying. “Michael, uncle.”  
“What brings you here, Anastasia?” Michael snarled.  
“I have come for the innocent. Adam Winchester.” She looked up at both of them.  
“Why?” Lucifer snarled.  
“Castiel… he, things are going crazy up there. Metatron has taken over heaven, God is missing. The whole world has gone haywire. Once more the Winchesters are the only chance… Adam doesn’t belong here uncles, please.” She implored them both.  
“You don’t have enough grace to pull yourself and him out of here, it would kill you.” Michael responded to her pleading, both souls shimmering and sinking down to her.  
“We have left him alone, willing him to live, waiting for someone to come for him, like Castiel for Sam, and Death for Sam’s soul. We didn’t expect a halfling to fetch him.” Lucifer added.  
“I thank you both, for letting him live. Willing him to live.” She nodded graciously.  
“We have put aside our differences, we know you won’t let us out. We will however, give you our graces so you will be strong enough to pull Adam up.” Michael declared.  
“It’s been two years, that he has been down here.” She muttered. “Is he… still human?”  
“We think so.” Lucifer poked at him, with part of his soul.  
“Your graces, will they kill me?” She asked.  
“No, but they will burn out.” Michael explained.  
“Your batteries will be super charged.” Lucifer continued.  
“For how long?” She asked.  
“I don’t know.” Lucifer offered. He was already drifting up.  
“You don’t have the juice to leave now.” Michael sighed. “Sleep, Tate, with Adam down there, when you both wake, we will super charge you, and then you can be on your way.”  
Tate was exhausted, her whole body drifted to the ground, her legs and ribs seared with pain, from flames that had burned deep into her flesh, marking her body. She rested her head on Adam’s shoulder. She knew as well as the angels, it was not worth waking him, not yet.  
She watched with drowsy eyes as they circled above her. Relieved that she could not be possessed or used as a vessel by either one. Adam was the closest to comatose she had ever seen a human, and still be breathing. Adam cuddled to her, instinctively, whimpering in his sleep.  
When she woke, she lazily stood. “Ready, boys.”  
“Make us a promise, Tate?” Michael ordered.  
“Anything, uncles.” Tate muttered.  
“When all's said and done, release us, have them release us from this prison, let us go back to heaven, let us rest in heaven’s jail.” Lucifer muttered.  
“I will. If I can’t do it on my own, I promise that Crowley and Castiel will.” She responded.  
“Thank you.” Michael was on her first, blue shimmering light flying from his soul’s force and into her, it knocked her from her feet, pressing her against the flaming metal of the cage. Lucifer was next, his grace was a more orange color, and it burned going down. She stood on shaking legs, flexing her wings, astonished to realize they had almost tripled in length and weight. They were true angel wings, a combination of wood brambles like her Fae blood offered, and pure white with purple and gold streaked through them. She stood, smiling at both of them.  
“Your welcome, uncles.” She purred. She flexed the wings a couple times, relieved they seemed to follow her commands. Then moved forward, straddling Adam’s lap, sinking to her knees, pushing her arms around Adam’s chest, her shoulders knocking against his collarbone, then she kicked off. She realized instantly, that her hands were burning into the flesh of Adam, under his shoulder blades, tugging him closer, she focused on breaking through the box without breaking the seal.  
The flames threatened to destroy them both, when she slipped from the metal. Holding even tighter to Adam, she pushed her borrowed wings, feeling the fire that lapped at them. Her mind registered that both graces were identified as the enemy by the demons seeking her. It didn’t matter, not really. She surged through the veil, her and Adam dropping hard onto sand.  
“Your wings…” His breath heaved, “Beautiful.” He purred.  
“Adam, I am Anastasia Winchester, I am married to your brother Sam. Sam and Dean sent me after you.” His eyes open wide. “They missed you.”  
He whimpered, as she pulled her hands from his back, the green scars on his flesh, burned through his shirt. “What happened?”  
“Michael rode you into the pit… Lucifer rode Sam. We got Sam out first, to see if it could happen. Castiel extracted him. But, left his soul behind.” She paused. “I pulled you out, and I feel your soul, but it came at a price. I lost my humanity to do it. I…” She paused again. “I gave up the human part of me, to be demon, to walk among them… I’m the daughter of Gabriel, and part fairy, and right now I am supercharged, so…” She grabbed him once more, careful not to hit the new marks on his flesh, and focused her energy on Sam. She couldn’t find him, or Dean in her mind, instead she focused her energy on Meg.  
They landed inside the bunker, side by side on the floor. “TATE!” She heard Meg scream it at her, then Meg was on her, grabbing her shirt front and kissing her on the lips, not even bothering to check on Adam.  
“Missed you too.” She whimpered, collapsing.  
-/-  
“What do you mean she is gone?” Sam snapped. He was walking out of the hospital, unsure of himself. Roughly he doubted how well he was considering how weak he felt watching the angels fall from heaven.  
“She… Crowley said she made a deal with him, and he wouldn’t explain it. Meg said that the last thing she heard across their bond was for Meg to keep an eye on the boys until she got back.” Dean offered. “Said she wouldn’t be gone long.”  
“Meg, the boys…” Sam frowned. “Will they stay at the bunker.”  
“Yes, with Gabriel, Balthazar, Kevin Tram, and us until you feel better.”  
-/-  
Shit has a way of hitting the fan, in the worst times. Namely everything sort of went crazy after Tate left, vanished. Crowley and Castiel wouldn’t speak on it. Ezekiel had taken control of Sam, completely, killing Kevin in the process. Charlie was in Oz with Dorothy, something neither Dean or Sam wanted to think about. Dean now wore the mark of Cain, and had the First Blade.  
Crowley was the closest thing to a bestfriend that Dean had, alienating Sam to the fullest. Gabriel and Balthazar had vanished the night after they learned Megatron’s true plans, refusing to lead an army of angels, instead, going once more into hiding.  
Everything that could go wrong, had gone wrong. Crowley was remorseful, for the most part, when it came to Dean’s recent transformation. Sam could read between the lines, something serious was going on with Dean. Metatron locked away, in heaven’s jail. Castiel losing his grace, losing his supercharged grace.  
-/-  
“She… just appeared.” Meg was talking into the phone. “With the third Winchester.” A long pause. “Not sure, actually. She has wings, she has mismatched eyes, and she has… well.. Grace.”  
The swishing of wings let Meg know that Gabriel was there. She whirled around to look at him. “Where are the others?” He asked.  
“Kevin’s cousin, Glenn Rhee, took his ghost home with him.” Meg offered. “The boys are asleep in their bunk room. Dean disappeared with Crowley… Sam is working a case, and Castiel is dying from lack of grace.”  
“Shit, pookie, problems in paradise.” Gabriel roared with laughter.  
Balthazar was next, crashing down. “Tate is back, she completed that fools errand for Castiel.”  
“You could say that.” She muttered. “Just got of the phone with Sam, he should be home soon, he’s working a Dean related case. With Tate back, Sam will have a partner.”  
Gabriel only nodded. “And Adam?”  
“Adam… is… shell shocked, as humans say.” Meg lazily pointed Gabriel in the direction of Adam. She had a serious enough responsibility caring for the three younger kids, who had spent the last year with only her and the bunker as entertainment, sure sporadic visits from other people now and again, but… “I am going to open the gateway to Oz.”  
“Why?” Balthazar asked.  
“The twins, they will be on anyone and everyone's hit list, with a supercharged angel mom, and a uncle with the mark of Cain. Not to mention Ben, his dad is literally the father of murder right now. Charlie and I talked, briefly, over the interdimensional wires, complicated shit, but this place has a weigh station for all of them. She said the rebellion had been squashed, and that we would have safe passage there.” Meg explained.  
“Demons in Oz. Maybe I should give you something before you go.” Tate’s voice broke the silence.  
“Tate you're awake!” Meg hugged her tight again, then winked at Gabriel.  
“I am, and I am thankful that you thought ahead, about the boys. They… don’t know I am home right?” Meg nodded. “In that case, let’s keep it that way, I am sure they have mourned me enough. Let’s get the portal open, oh… before I forget, I can make you human.” She smiled.  
“Really?” Meg raised her eyebrows.  
“Borrowed grace.” She offered. “I have Michael and Lucifer’s graces, they are the only two archangels who could reverse the Demon, and because I have both magic I can.”  
“You would do that for me.” Meg whimpered.  
“I would.” Tate smiled, standing on tiptoes, pressing the palms of her hands into Meg’s ribs. Meg gasped, hard for air. Tate smiled at her, “You dear, are remarkably human. This will be kept in your file, incase you ever need it again.” Tate wiggled a bottle of black liquid in front of her face.  
“Thank you.” Meg kissed her best friend's forehead, and hugged her. “I love you.”  
“I love you too. I’ll power open the portal. With the second Oz key. Get the boys.” Tate ordered. “Gabriel, I am ordering you, please remain with Adam until he wakes. There is somewhere I am needed.”  
-/-  
“Adam isn’t going to wake, but you knew that.” Gabriel snarled.  
Balthazar and Tate stood over his bed side, she looked defeated. “His adult body is too destroyed, correct?”  
“Correct.” Balthazar nodded.  
“Then we mend him.” Tate suggested.  
“How, pray tell?” Gabriel asked his daughter, confusion on his face.  
“I dunno dad, with oh here's a thought - magic?” She snapped.  
Balthazar chuckled, they all three looked down at Adam’s sleeping form for a moment, confusion on his features. Tate moved forward, planting her hands on his chest, soon Gabriel and Balthazar followed.  
The room seemed to hum around them. Dean and Sam watched from outside the doorway, the bunker lit up with a strange light, something akin to when the Angel’s were blasted to heaven, but this was different, more purple than blue. When the light simmered down, where Adam had once been resting, a small infant laid.  
“What the hell?” Sam snapped.  
“Problem solved. Erased the bad. When he is old enough we can… explain it to him. Castiel told me he was very very important.” She grumbled.  
“Problem solved?” Dean snarled. “How the hell does that solve the problem.”  
“I get it.” Sam muttered. “Basically a baby Adam gives us four Winchester hunters in training, he knows something or Castiel wouldn’t have wanted him back. Something that both Michael and Lucifer were alright with both of them leaving the box.”  
“Right, so basically someone has to be his dad.” Balthazar informed them.  
“I will.” Dean stooped to pick the little one up. “How old is he?”  
“About two.” Tate muttered. “I think.”  
“Right.” Sam sighed.  
“I am going to run him up to Jody. Let her know it’s Adam, and that Dean is his father.” Gabriel decided. “After that Balthazar and I have things we have to do.”  
“Like what?” Sam started to ask, but both angels and baby Adam disappeared.  
-/-  
Dean died. Sam grieved. The world changed. Dean returned - not as a human. But a demon, black eyes that seemed determined to shine through the Righteous Man. Killing only seemed to feed into the Mark of Cain on his arm.  
Crowley and Dean were having a good time. No other way to explain it. Dean might have been a demon, but at least spending time with Crowley was easy - freeing. For the first time since his mom died, he felt free completely free. No worries about Sam, or saving the world.  
Girls every night, beer on tap, as much karaoke as he wanted, and murdering to satisfy the mark, killing any demon or human that got in his or Crowley’s way. He hated to admit it, but even Crowley seemed to be in high spirits.  
-/-  
After the boys helped Charlie take out her evil self, they discovered that Meg, Ben, John, and Dane were also back from Oz. They were in the bunker, and relaxing for the most part. Just spending their time avoiding doing too much. Dane and John were approaching nine, and Ben was close to fifteen.  
-/-  
Tate’s eyes flashed red. She had no clue exactly what had happened, other than receiving an email from Charlie with a warning. The next moment she gave Meg her demon juice back, and sent her with the boys to Sheriff Mill’s house, seemed logical because Adam was already there.  
. The explosion that rocked the bunker made Tate realize very quickly that the concealment charms were a good idea, and she would owe Meg for helping her. She watched her head cocked to the side, in earnest, as the smoke cleared. The three Stynes entered the bunker, hell bent on destroying anything and everything. Relief filled Tate, at least she was alone.. She stood in the center of the library, tears already in her eyes. She knew as well as Castiel, this was not their day.  
Hanging from chains in the main atrium of the library, with the younger Styne frowning, looking at the things that made the bunker theirs. Tate whimpered, wiggling her shoulders. Trying hard to flex her wings. She watched the going ons around, and sighed. This was not going to end well. The youngest wasn’t like the older two. He didn’t want the life he had been given, and in a fleeting moment, he reminded her of Sam, sweet and good natured, but not at all interested in the family business.  
She watched the brooding one come back in, panting, his body collided to the floor, and then Dean was there. His eyes glossed over her and she watched him, horror under her skin. He killed the blonde one, then shot her. She gasped, blood seeping from the middle of her chest down. “I kill monsters!” He roared.  
Castiel was there, then. The youngest Styne, dead on the floor. Tate watched, tears hanging heavily on her lashes, as Dean beat Castiel down. Cas just let him, let Dean wail on him, he put up a minimal fight, Castiel looked so heart broken. It reminded Tate of Sam when he was soulless ripping her wings off.  
Dean had the angel blade, Tate fought against the chains that bound her, hard, writhing and snarling. Dean just laughed, stabbed it into the book beside Castiel's head and snarled. “Stay away from me, you, Tate, and Sam. Stay the fuck away from me.”  
Tate’s world went black after that, she felt the hands unchaining her, felt a warm body holding her close, felt like the whole world had been ripped off its axis. Dean was in more trouble than she realized. The next thing she knew for sure, she was stretched out on the bed she shared in the bunker with Sam. She could hear the voices of Castiel and Sam talking. Something about a codex and cure. There were other voices with them, she realized they sounded like the Dixon’s, Glenn and Garth.  
If werewolf Garth was there they were in more trouble than she realized, on unsteady feet she stood, wiping blood from her shirt, and frowning. She made her way to the library, and looked at Sam. He was on her in a second, scooping her from the floor and crushing her into his arms, kissing her face all over, then her lips. “We thought you might die.” She could see that both Glenn and Garth were moving away from the room, headed towards the archives if she had to guess, they were working on cleaning the mess made by the Stynes.  
“Can’t too supercharged right now.” She muttered. “As I use the grace, I believe it restores itself to Lucifer and Michael.” She muttered.  
“Is that a good thing?” Sam asked.  
“I heard the Stynes, you lied to me, and to Dean. Now Charlie is dead, right?” She growled, irritated, ignoring the question.  
Sam sat her down, and frowned. “I just wanted to save Dean.”  
“Let me tell you something. I have been alive longer than that witch you brought in. And I can read the damn book. Here's the deal, unleashing the darkness isn’t the answer. But, I might have one.” She sighed, “If anyone consulted me… I might have mentioned that. Now, we have to stop the witch.”  
She was gone before they registered what she said. “I want my wings back.” Castiel muttered, following Sam from the bunker.  
“Keep an eye on this place, and finish cleaning up, would you?” Sam called back towards Daryl, who nodded. Merle stretched out like a lazy cat next to him.  
As soon as the bunker door closed, the Dixon’s resumed cleaning up. That was when they stumbled upon a strange container, with letters neither of them knew etched into it. They reached mistakenly at the same time for it, grabbing the metal container in their hands. The moment it touched skin, both felt the buzz of electricity, then they were in Atlanta, and they were fighting rather high powered zombies.  
-/-  
Tate didn’t drive. Instead she climbed into the backseat of the mustang Sam liked to drive, while Castiel took shotgun. They reached their destination, and before Sam or Castiel stop her, she was inside.  
Tate flew at Rowena. “I know you.” The witch tried desperately to step back from her, irritated and irrational. Tate didn’t stop her advance, instead she moved even faster pinning the witch to the floor. By the time Castiel and Sam were inside, Tate had Rowena pinned to the floor, angel blade at her neck.  
“Yes, you do, from the Coven.” She snarled.  
“Your dead.” Rowena whimpered.  
“No, simply changed teams.” Tate purred, then bent down, even with Rowena, and whispered something in the witch’s ear. As Tate stood, Sam and Castiel watched in horror as Rowena aged, it reminded Sam of what happened to Dorian Grey, when he looked at his portrait. Castiel frowned, his eyes narrowed. “Estranged from the coven, both of us. If that’s the last bit’a learned magick I ever use, it was worth it.” She snatched the book of the Damned, the Codex, and what was left of Charlie's belongings, then push passed Sam and Cas. “You got Charlie killed, love. I love you regardless, but now Dean is on his fuckin’ own. Regardless of what just happened to me, to Rowena, we need to get back to the bunker, and figure out what happened. There should be a file on me there. Josie wasn’t the only woman to help the Men of Letters.”  
Sam gapped open mouthed at her. They hadn’t really discussed how she knew so much about the bunker they dwelled in, it had never occurred to him to ask. His mind was now sifting through countless times he should have realized his wife knew things he didn’t. Knew things that Castiel probably knew nothing about. She had been on earth for almost eleven hundred years. “You worked for the Men of Letters?” Sam asked once they were back in the car.  
“Not exactly. They studied me, for a long time.” She said, pausing. “Long enough that when they caught up with me, they were actually hunting witches. The Grand Coven, I helped them take it down. I was planning on it, but it turned out I had a natural gift for magic, I… I had become the very thing I was hunting. Their hunters captured me, because at that time I remained in my true form, and the hauled all the magical information as well as books and artifacts that the Grand Coven had to offer, back to the bunker. Your grandfather hadn’t joined yet. It was in the 1890s. The bunker that we are in now, hadn’t been completely built yet.” She explained. “At the time, everything was kept hidden in an old Library, and they needed someone to guard it. For a while I held that position.”  
“When Abaddon rose, why didn’t you face her?” Castiel asked.  
“I was on assignment.” She muttered. “They had sent me… to… another dimension, gathering things up. Not Oz, never got to travel there, no they sent me to what I like to refer to as the original Purgatory - I went to a dimension that combines the worst of the worst, and breeds fear. It was there, that I learned about the Darkness and the Mark of Cain. My findings were never recorded or published, because when I returned home - the Men of Letters had been wiped out. Not just the American side, but… all of them. Abaddon as a knight of Hell had ordered the utter destruction of the world I had grown to love.” She paused. “But, there was hope, and still is. The son of one of the Men of Letter’s, he was maybe fifteen at the time, and a legacy, he was a good friend to me. Helped me find the Fairy forest I was in when we first met.” She offered to Sam.  
They had reached the bunker. “Is he still alive?” Sam asked.  
“Not sure. You have met two Men of Letter’s already, and how did they make you feel? Warm and fuzzy, I think not.” She muttered. “Secretive lying bunch…” She muttered. The door hadn’t been completely repaired, but Castiel was working on it. He resumed working on it as Tate led Sam down the stairways and into the archives. “Hmmmm, here we go.” She muttered.  
Sam looked down, over her shoulder. “Fairy Princesses.” He chuckled. “Does everyone call you that?”  
“They thought they were clever back then, giving me a nickname like that, instead it put a price on my head.” She grumbled. “Ah. here we go. Anastasia Dane - date of birth Eleventh Month, Ninth Day, Year of Our Lord 948. See, here is my sister's file. Rosabella Dane… Vampire Elder.” She rolled her eyes. “She’s not an elder, she’s the one who… Well, forget it.”  
“What did she do?” Sam asked.  
“Figured out how to make baby vampires with Dracula, that’s what.” She gruffed. “I hunted my sister for centuries.”  
“The Mark would work on you too, wouldn’t it? You the older sister?” Suddenly Sam realized what her plan was.  
“Something like that, I plan to bind it to Lucifer’s grace, then return his grace to him.” She offered, her eyes alive.  
“That’s impossible.” Castiel muttered. “You would die leaving the cage.”  
“No, I won’t.” She smiled. “I will have an escort.”  
“Who?” Sam asked.  
“Me. Thank’s for taking out Mother for me, when the time was right, I just don’t know if I could have.” Crowley’s voice danced around them. “Moose, Backstabbing Wings.” He nodded towards Sam and then Castiel.  
“Where are the Dixons?” Castiel asked, looking around.  
“We havn’t seen them in a while.” Garth offered. “I am headed back home, got pups on the way.”  
“No clue.” Sam scratched at his chin, and surveyed the room. “It’s no cleaner in here than it was when we left.”  
“I gotta head out too.” Glenn was already headed up the stairs after Garth. “I need to keep my cover, delivering Pizzas, for as long as I can.” They shared a laugh, then he ducked out of the bunker. Headed back towards Atlanta. “Next time when I come I will bring with me Kevin, I’ll wear the ring so he can hang out.”  
“First, we find the Dixon’s. Crowley, can you assist with that.” Tate asked. Clutching her file and her sisters to her chest, as she made her way to the research tables in the library. She dropped both there, and motioned for Sam to look at them. “Read up. Dear.” She kissed his temple, and Sam shivered, he was not sure he wanted to delve into the box that belonged to her files. He didn’t know what he would find.  
It took them awhile, but they soon found a metal box on the floor that didn’t belong there. As Tate stooped to pick it up, Crowley caught her arm. “Cursed. And I imagine the Brothers Dixon are in it.” She only nodded, and grabbed a discarded blanket, grabbing the box inside the folds and maneuvering it to the table.  
“Any clue on how to get them out?” Castiel asked. The Dixons were not charges of his, but were cousins to Bobby somehow, so they were owed due diligence in extraction if possible.  
“I think one of us has to go in.” Crowley muttered.  
“And probably break them out of their believed Curse.” Sam asserted. “Dean and I have done that before. What are those markings anyway?”  
“They belong to a Djinn. I imagine there is one locked in there, one of the ones that feeds off fear by the stench of it.” Crowley informed them.  
“Alright, I will go. The Dixon’s know me best, anyway.” Tate muttered.  
-/-  
On his knees, shot, he looked around the circle. Rick was there, thank god, but then again, that was something Daryl hadn’t wanted to see at this moment, something dark and painful was thundering in his heart. He couldn’t hear what was being said, only the throbbing realization that there was no safe way out of this - someone was going to die.  
The second shock was that the man - Negan was wearing John Winchester’s face. Daryl felt physically sick, his heart almost stopping. Negan was a monster of some sort. “Come on, Ricky boy, pick someone.” It sang songed.  
“Not gonna happen.” A voice snarled from somewhere behind him. Daryl knew it instantly. Merle. But, Merle was dead. Maybe he was already dead.  
“And who the fuck are you?” It snarled.  
“Tut tut. Djinn, you should know hunters of our bloodlines.” Another familiar voice growled. Sam, Sam Winchester. Daryl’s heart thundered back to life.  
“Sam Fucking Winchester, Dean you must be back there. Which means, ah, there are your pets. Tate Winchester and Meg Novak. So, you sir, must be Merle Dixon, back from the dead. Wonder who made a deal for you?” The monster spoke. “Even Cas, Crowley… hmm.”  
Daryl chanced a look at Rick, who confirmed at least the part about Merle. “No deals, this isn’t real, djinn, let them go.”  
There was a silence Daryl could have sworn lasted an hour. “So, you think you have everything figured out, huh?”  
“Tut tut, you must be a stupid one.” Tate sneered.  
The movement was almost too quick for Daryl to register, but both Meg and Tate were upon Negan. Slamming him into the ground, and using their combined powers to hold him still. Behind him, he heard Merle’s voice, strong and loud, chanting in latin.  
“If the rest of you wanna take us on you can.” Dean snarled. “But, we’ve been through hell and back, so if I was you, I’d start thinking about which side you wanna be on.”  
The whole of the groups eyes befell Negan, his withering form as both girls held him to the ground, Tate’s magic pulling roots to secure his legs. His body thrashing, then, almost as soon as it started, black plums began to exit his body. Sam and Merle surged forward, two halves of a box in hands, and secured the djinn in it.  
Tate drug Daryl to his feet. “None of this is real, you have to wake up now.” She ordered. The Djinn locked away the effects of his magic fading.  
“Merle died in here.” Daryl muttered, his arms tight around Tate as everyone around them faded out of focus.  
“No, he didn’t die, he simply was lost. That is you brother. You’ve only been trapped about six hours… How much time passed in here?”  
“Three or four years.” Daryl looked different, older, worn thin from being inside.  
“I had to use a lot of juice to create the other apparitions you saw, now come on.” She urged him, grabbing his arm and Merle’s before hauling them upward.  
-/-  
They landed on their feet in the bunker, both boys looked a little worse for the wear, but once Tate had them seated, and fed they were perking up. “What did you see?” Sam asked.  
“The end of times, some sort of apocalypse like the Croatoan virus you guys told us about.” Merle offered, “Bitches were crazy, and there was no sex.”  
“Maybe no sex for you, I was…” Daryl stopped, growling. “I need to know, Tate, is Rick Grimes still alive?”  
“That Sheriff we rescued years ago in Atlanta? He should be. Why?” Tate asked eyebrows raised.  
“Wanna go check on him and his kids. Remember his son was marked by the yellow eyed demon.” Daryl muttered. “Where did Garth and Glenn go?”  
“They had to head back to their respective homes. Pups and pizza, correct?” Crowley answered, thumbing absentmindedly through a book entitled ‘Fae Laws’.  
“Yes, but that was when we were assisting John Winchester, Merle was barely 25, and you were maybe 14 when we worked that case.” Tate rolled her eyes, ignoring Crowley.  
“You three worked with my dad.” Sam deadpanned.  
“Bobby didn’t tell you what I owed him for did he?” She asked, watching as Merle and Daryl headed towards the garage of the bunker. “Check in would you?”  
“Sure thing mooooom.” Daryl called back, waving his hands absentmindedly.  
“No, he didn’t.” Sam growled.  
“After I came out of hiding, but before you guys met me, it was because your father had summoned a Fairy. He thought we would know more about the demons than he did. I guess he never cared much for angels, like Dean.” She paused. “Or maybe because there were none mentioned in the Lore, the next oldest well known documented creatures next to demons in the lore he had was fairies. His enchantment wasn’t strong enough to pull a true fairy through the veil, so I answered his call.” She explained. Tate sank down onto Sam's lap, pressing her body against his. “He demanded I help him hunt the demon. So together we worked out the weather patterns, among other things.”  
“Please tell me you didn’t crush on my dad or something.” Sam whimpered.  
Castiel raised an eyebrow and joined them at the table. Crowley scraped a chair across the tiles as he took a place beside Castiel, ready for storytime he placed the book on the table.  
“No, nothing like that.” She laughed. “More or less, he bound me to the Earth, so he could summon me whenever he felt like he needed me. It was sometime later, maybe early 2005 that he called for me, outside of Atlanta in King County, Georgia. There were similar patterns there, and he had found a probable target. So I rushed down there, and he called in a favor from an older hunter he knew, Jesse Dixon. Jesse had retired, and was blind, but his nephews were hunters or at least in training, they had killed a demon and released some ghost so far, so… he sent them. I’m guessing about that time Dean showed up and told you that John was missing.”  
Sam nodded, and absentmindedly began rubbing the vines on her legs, watching as the soft green patterns seem to swirl and move with her mood. In the bunker along with everywhere else, they resided for more than a day or two, she allowed her real form to push through the plane of existence.  
“So, we get there right, and manage to save the whole family, but your dad went off sort of half cocked, and got injured. I healed him, then he called Bobby, and asked him to look up the lore on how to unbind me from Earth. Your father was angry, so angry, that one of the things he should be hunting, me, cured him. It wasn’t the first time, you know, that I met you father. Bobby gave him the incantation to summon me, because Bobby had called on my help before. John could have left me bound to Earth, but he didn’t. Instead he and Bobby worked together to release me from the bond, and I was allowed to slip back into the forest.”  
“So, you worked with Bobby before?” Crowley was interested now.  
“Yes, when he and John became friends, Sam was very small. Bobby had already lost his wife, and there were times when even Jesse or William Dixon would drop Daryl off for days with Bobby. Bobby was gathering supplies too near our forest, and I saved him from a particularly nasty Fae who planned to chow down on the two little boys. He was grateful I saved him, and I offered offhandedly to help him with the boys should he ever need anything. So, from time to time, when too many cases popped up, and he had to hunt instead of running the phone hub, he would call on me.”  
Sam’s brow furrowed. “Did you ever watch Dean?”  
“No, not really. Dean wouldn’t stay around long. I think sometimes he thinks he remembers me, but I doubt it. More often than not, it was you and me, while Bobby did something with Dean, or Dean rode with your dad.” She offered.  
If Sam focused hard enough he could pull a memory forward. Standing with her and a much younger Daryl, young enough Daryl was holding his hand, Tate was walking towards a spooked horse.Her body at easy, voice soothing. Each step calculated, they managed to get the horse back into the barn, and the three of them curled up on the couch, he was maybe twelve then. She had salted the windows and doors. The next day, if he remembered correctly, she taught him how to ride the horse. “Stay high, in the stirrups when she takes off.” She had said, nodding at him, eyes alive with pride. Daryl was on her back, piggyback riding, looking every bit the happy child he was. Sam fell off several times, each time she would drag him to his feet, and brush him off, “Get on back up there Sammy.” And he would. It occurred to Sam, that Daryl never had his parents, his older brother couldn’t even bother to stay home with him. From what he had learned from Bobby, William and Jesse were brothers who hunted together.  
“You're the reason I know how to ride horses, somewhat?” Sam asked.  
“Sure am, always had a way with animals.” She mumbled.  
“So, you’ve been around hunters for a long time, why haven't they tried to kill you?” Crowley asked, interested because honestly, “I’m a gem and everyone wants to kill me, especially Moose.”  
“I don’t often wrong people for fun, Crowley.” She laughed.  
“So, why are we going through the files?” Dean asked.  
“I need to know where they hid my bag of tricks, magical things. In it there will be a book that I can use to do the spell.” Tate muttered.  
-/-  
Fate was a cruel mistress. Her bag of tricks had been taken by the Man of Letters whose house was hidden, the very man who had tried to add Dean to his collection. They spent a lot of time in his tomb, removing things of interest, and killing all his beloved pets. Her bag was stashed in a container in his “Quarantine Room.”  
Dean raised an eyebrow at that, but Tate just rolled her eyes. “Means he didn’t understand the magic.” They barely made it back outside, when several angels appeared. They all tried to move in quick session, to avoid being taken.  
-/-  
At the bunker, Tate had managed to bind Dean’s soul to Castiel, and Sam’s to hers, insuring the boys had immortality on their side. Unintentionally they had freed the Darkness, and Death had come to talk with them about it, in a fit of rage, Sam killed Death with his own scythe.  
Now, Tate and Castiel were back to back, hung from rafters of a dilapidated building while to tuxedo clad angels torchered them, again and again they asked “Where is Metatron?” Again both responded curtly, “I don’t know.” Only to have an angel blade drug down their bodies.  
Tate’s head dipped low, as the more brazen Angel threatened to cut into Castiel, removing body parts under the belief that he was lying. Bright light threatened to blind her as Hannah appeared. Both Castiel and Tate could feel Dean and Sam across the bond, Tate could also feel Meg. The three were drenched in fear, and something else - worry about the two missing angles. Tate didn’t believe for one second Hannah was there to help them.  
Tate growled, low in frustration, and Castiel could feel her impatience. She was a lot like Gabriel, although he had been an absent father. Her tiny lithe form was that of a warriors, and she was more than destined to be one of the chosen. Castiel let his mind wandered absently towards Gabriel and Balthazar, who were nowhere to be seen. Both angles were older brothers to him, and also considered fallen. He wondered where they were, and what the hell they were doing.  
His mind reflected back to Crowley, he hoped to no end that the demon had recovered. Castiel had no clue how Rowena’s spell worked with her death, but before he and Tate had been trapped he had glimpsed what Tate perceived to be the reason. Rowena had studied under Tate once, and had probably secured some of her blood - enough that her magic stemmed from Tate’s.  
Now, hanging next to the girl, he realized something. She was more dangerous than she was anything else. Tate was well versed in many different forms of magic, she herself had all the powers of an angel, the feelings of a mortal, and the darkness of a demon. Not to mention her wicked spell casting skills, which they had just started to learn about. He wondered if the Angel blade could even kill her, she was something completely different. An abomination created not by fate - but by God.  
In the early days when more of the Nephilim were born, the angels had been systematically ordered by God to destroy them. God had never sent the order for Anastasia or Rosabella to be destroyed, instead they were Castiel’s first charges. He watched over Tate, while Balthazar watched over Rosa. But, then issues in heaven had pulled both back topside, and he had lost Tate in the blind fury. Never once was anyone interested in killing them. The Arch angels didn’t even try when they briefly ruled.  
Hannah lowered Tate first, leaving her cuffed. Tate just sank to her knees on the floor. Castiel knew a lot of her power had been expended, keeping the angel blade from hitting anything of importance inside him. Next, Hannah pulled Castiel’s cuff’s chain from the hook. “Leave them on me, trust me it's better this way.”  
“Guard dog curse.” Tate managed to ink the words out. “Need my book to undo what Rowena did.” She whispered. “Fix you up right, Cas.” She muttered the word.  
Castiel took a moment to reflect on the fact that Dean had given him the nickname, and for a fleeting moment remembered his superiors riding him hard about it, it was blasphemy to call an angel of the Lord anything other than his given name, but that had not stopped Castiel from enjoying the way it rolled off Dean’s tongue, or how the Winchester clan all referred to him as Cas now, because it meant he was one of them.  
Hannah helped Castiel into a chair, Tate was still mocking Hannah’s male body in her mind, then drug Tate to rest at his feet. The proper place for an abomination was beneath a real angel. Tate didn’t bother at all to care, instead rested her blood covered face on Castiel’s thigh. A gentle expression of their understanding of each other, a gesture not missed by Hannah.  
“Alarms have been going off in heaven, alarms that have not gone off… ever.” Hannah looked at them with alarming eyes. “And you reek of Michael and Lucifer’s graces, how is that possible?”  
“Lets just say it's a long story and I borrowed them.” Tate whimpered, her red hair was going to matt to the side of her face, and that was starting to piss her off.  
“It’s the Darkness.”  
“That’s a bedtime story.” Hannah shot back.  
“No, it’s not.” Tate growled it out, irritation running high.  
“It's been locked away since the dawn of creation. Now it is free.” Castiel muttered.  
“God help us.” Whimpered Hannah.  
“I wouldn’t count on that.” Tate and Castiel muttered in unison.  
Hannah had manipulated the whole situation. Tate’s consciousness was bouncing in and out, and she was doing her best to not pass completely out. She had been right, Hannah wasn’t there to help. She had sent the other angels, to capture and torture them, then she had planned to run in and save the day, thinking they would sell the Winchester’s out. Tate was a wildcard at best, and had never been to Heaven, any relation she had to Hannah was lost on her, but she felt the pain it caused Castiel, and snarled, low and angrily in Hannah’s direction.  
Tate couldn’t keep the demon part in check much longer, Castiel knew that, and he knew Hannah would be in danger when Tate gave in to it. The other two angels returned, Castiel was informed that the angels hated him.  
“I won’t give you Sam and Dean.”  
“Neither will I.” Tate snarled, her eyes starting to shift.  
“What the hell is she?” Growled one of them.  
“Your destruction.” Tate choked out the words.  
“We are going to hack your brain's.” The other suited monkey said, making Tate growl again.  
Castiel could feel the electricity surging through Tate, he had never experienced her demon side but Adam had. Her body was starting to glow, a welcome intrusion if Castiel was going to be honest with himself.  
Tate needed a few more minutes, Castiel realized, to become full powered. She had to lock away the two graces, her fairy blood, and what was left of the human element. They were already securing the brain screwer, and Castiel knew without a doubt, things were about to get very interesting and very messy.  
Hannah tried to intervene, and that was Tate’s cue. She surged up, slamming into one of the angels, her pure wrath was a power surge to Castiel too, and he broke free from his confines. They seemed to dance around each other, perfect companions in battle. It reminded him of having Gabriel or Balthazar on the battlefield with him. In the end, however, Hannah was dead.  
Tate stood panting, her eyes blood red. They were wide, and her beautiful face was contorted in something like pain, she howled, furious, clawing at her neck. He watched in horror for a moment, as a burn mark displayed itself, then disappeared. “SAMMMMMMY!” Her voice echoed. She blinked hard a few times, then collapsed. When he reached her, her familiar green eyes shimmered at him. “That… was… messy.” She touched two fingers to his forehead, and his wounds vanished, but the curse remained.  
It took them a lot of time, but they made it to the bunker, both collapsing on the floor, near a pile of books left behind from the Stynes attack. Tate hit her head hard, and Castiel could see the blood pooling around them, his vision blurred as he slammed into her, his head buried in her side, arm tossed over her. Castiel didn’t know it, not yet, but Tate was his equal in more ways than one, and their unhealthy codependent relationship was more than starting to rival Sam and Deans.  
-/-  
Dean met the Darkness. As the cloud encompassed him and Sam, for a brief moment she sat in the back of the Impala. “Your little Nephilim is going to be my best friend.” She gloated to them. “She set me free… but me and you Dean, we are bound to one another.” She cooed, her voice purred then she was gone.  
“Nephilim, that’s a half angel.” Sam said after she disappeared.  
“Tate. Tate’s in danger.” Dean whimpered.  
“Sounds like you are too.” Sam looked at Dean.  
Both sent a prayer to Tate, then to Castiel, but neither angel responded. Neither did Gabriel or Balthazar. Something on a cosmic level was very wrong, something shifted it seemed. Angel radio didn’t seem to be broadcasting, or worse the Winchester’s were being ignored.  
The little town was overrun with Darkness infused zombies. The only true survivor they had met, a woman, Jenna, was a cop. Together they made their way to the hospital, only to find most of its occupants dead. It was inside a lonely closet, that the wails of a single small infant alerted them that something was wrong. The naked female infant wailed out as Dean looked down at her, the Mark of Cain glistening on her shoulder.  
“We should kill it.” Sam muttered.  
“We can’t it's not evil yet.” Dean shot back, scoping the baby up. Wondering if because he had worn the mark his sympathies did not lie with the small one.  
“Then you need to take Jenna, and get her and the baby the hell out of here, Dean.” Sam ordered. For once Dean listened, loading the cop and child up, he shot one look back at Sam and then was gone. Sam was not as lucky as he could have been - no angel on his side at current, and contracted the darkness related virus.  
-/-  
Crowley had connections in a lot of places. Priest, nuns, Bishops, etcetera. When one happened to call for an exorcism he was more than happy to oblige, what he found in the quiet little house, however, took him completely by surprise. A lone Winchester, the Darkness herself, a souless bitch, and a dead bible thumper. “Looks like your angels forgot you.” Crowley growled.  
“No, they are busy. Sam and I can handle ourselves, we did just fine before Cas and Tate came into our lives.” Dean asserted.  
“Tate has been in your life for a long time. Surely you remember, Dean, the babysitter at Bobby’s, the woman who your father snuck out to meet - even when your mother was barely dead.” Dean glared at Crowley, but nodded his head.  
“Castiel has been around since time started, right, so he was always my guardian.” Dean pinned Crowley to the wall. “I’m going after that little girl, now.”  
Dean disappeared, but found the baby missing from her crib, the day he was having was shaping up to be pure hell. And to make matters worse, Crowley had completely disappeared. With no clue where to go next, he doubled back for Sam, to find he had found a cure.  
When they reached the bunker, they found the two fallen angels unconscious on the floor of the bunker hidden behind a stack of books. Dean was mortified, Castiel had blood literally seeping from his eyes and ears. Sam was frozen in shock. Tate’s wings were stretched protectively over them, but the pool of blood her head rested in had him concerned. Their human bodies were so fragile compared to the creatures that resided inside them.  
-/-  
Twenty-four hours later the four of them were settled in the library. Tate tucked protectively in Sam’s arms, blanket draped around her as she nestled in his lap, Castiel was parked next to Dean, Dean had an arm draped around the back of Castiel’s chair. The discussion had turned once more to what the Darkness actually was. “She’s less of a baby and more of a time bomb.” Castiel concluded.  
“I dreamed of her.” Tate whimpered.  
“We all did, somehow we are more connected than we thought.” Dean responded.  
“I think it is because I carry a part of Tate’s being in me - both her blood and a branch from her wings. She has saved me many times over.” Castiel whispered.  
“And you have saved me, many times over, it changes nothing. She and I are linked, and…” Tate paused. “I want her, she will want Dean.  
“You want her?” Sam deadpanned.  
“Not… sure…” Tate looked near tears again.  
“Should we let Meg and the others come home?” Castiel asked.  
“Do you want the kids around you in this state?” Dean asked, his green eyes locking on Cas’s blue ones.  
“True point.” Cas nodded his head, letting it slump.  
“We need my bag.” Tate snapped.  
“We lost it.” Sam could feel the anger that seeped from her pores, her eyes flashed red.  
“What?” She snarled.  
“It’s… Crowley has it.” Dean couldn’t look her in the eyes, not that it mattered, she was gone the instant he had finished the sentence.  
“Well, that’s great where do you suppose she went?” Sam asked, eyes searching the bunker.  
“Hell, I imagine.” Castiel rumbled.  
“Can she do that, I didn’t think angels could?” Sam raised an eyebrow.  
“In all the confusion she never gave Crowley back the demon part he gave her, she can enter heaven, hell, purgatory, OZ, wherever she damn well pleases I’d harbor to guess.” Castiel answered, his own eyes on the ground.  
“Is that how you two escaped the angels?” Dean asked, anger suddenly surging through him. “Did she use the demon, did she use the part of the mark burned into her flesh?”  
“It glowed if that's what you mean, and her eyes went red - solid red. Only really old or really powerful demon’s can pull that trick off.” Castiel offered.  
“So exactly what demon soul did Crowley fuse with hers?” Dean asked.  
“No clue. But when it comes out, the graces of Michael and Lucifer, as well as her human blood and fairy traces disappear completely. She’s strong enough to retain her mind, she knew me, and knew what needed to be done.” Castiel whispered. “But we have a problem, she knows where the first blade is, I was unsure about being the only one to know where it was hidden, so I took her - in case we needed it and I was absent.”  
“Great, Cas. Great.” Dean sounded madder than he actually was. “We removed the mark from me, only to put a bastardized version on her flesh, and were both what? Linked to the Darkness?”  
“Dean, he was looking out for us. Cas, anything else about the Darkness?” Sam asked, dismissing his brother. As much as Tate’s disappearing act bothered him, and her new demon parts scared him, he loved her regardless.  
Castiel tried to stand, but failed. He was chained to the ground. He slumped back down, hearing Dean say, “You're a wildcard, man.” Tate was gone to fetch her belongings, and hopefully reverse the curse.  
-/-  
A seizure rocked Cas, with both Dean and Sam rushing to him as he fell hard to the floor. Tate was back, seconds later, shoving something into his mouth, her eyes still blood red. She panted, and the sulfuric smell of Hell resonated around her. Dean was pawing at Cas’s stilled form, as Sam hauled her up. “What the hell was that?”  
“Bezoar.” She panted. “Works on curses and poison… if you can find one. Traded some shit from my bag to Crowley, little things. Trinkets. He has the Darkness. One battle at a time, though.” She managed. “Old magic.” She sighed. “Don’t know how well it works on Angel’s but, he seems to be doing better. Now I can work out a reversal.”  
“Tate you're amazing.” Dean kissed his sister's’ face, and hugged her close.  
“Don’t think me, this is my fault. Rowena - she trained under me, years and years ago, once the Grand Coven tossed her out.” Tate paused. “She stole my blood and a bramble, used it as her own personal battery pack - every spell she ever worked, every hex bag she ever made, was powered by my natural magic.” Tate tipped her head back, a heavy sigh on her lips. “I… am the reason for this.”  
“So, you went to Hell, talked to Crowley, and came back all in an hour.” Dean muttered.  
“Well, when you put it that way Dean Winchester I might be on my way to the title Fairy Queen, hmmm?” She laughed, resting her head on Sam’s shoulder. She was tired. Both her and Castiel were. With everything the last three days, he was silently amazed that they were not closer to dead.  
-/-  
Finding the darkness ment following bodies. At least that was what Dean and Sam decided to do. Castiel was remaining in the bunker, until further notice. Sure the Watch Dog Curse was removed, but he’d been through the ringer with it, and his angel juice combined with Tate’s couldn’t heal all the wrong. Tate meanwhile, was headed to Jodie Mill’s house. “Bonding time.” She had called it. Amara was running amuck, and neither Dean nor Sam wanted Tate anywhere near the front lines - not with the weird bond Amara seemed to have with Tate, half the time Dean didn’t even want to be close to the front lines.  
-/-  
Rowena gasped awake, she stood and looked around the room. Tate had killed her. Anastasia had killed her. The idea resonated for a moment, but Tate knew she could not be killed. It was Tate who had help her make the little trinket that hid in her thigh, the little carved clay beacon that kept her alive. As if Tate felt her thinking about her, Tate’s voice filled Rowena’s head. “You will know why I kept the secret when the time is right.”  
-/-  
Claire was going to be one hell of a hunter. She had figured out a case when even seasoned hunters like Sam and Dean had almost dismissed it. In the end they were lucky, that Jody and the girls were fine. But, much like Dean had tried to warn them, something would always come after Alex.  
This time, it was a set of vampires, who only knew of the story of her, had no real relation to her, or the nest they had taken out. Jody sent a silent prayer for Tate, who appeared blade in hand, and squished the threat. Her face darkened and she looked between the three women. “Let’s go home, shall we.” Nothing else was said, Tate touched each one's shoulder and zapped them to Jody’s living room.  
-/-  
“MOM!” Dane and John screamed at the same time.  
Tate was knocked backwards by the force of the twins enveloping her in a hug. They were close to nine now, if she had to guess. Ben tackled her next, he looked every bit of 14, almost 15. Tate smiled warmly at him. “Boys!” Even little Adam was toddling towards her, then Meg. “Sister.” She cooed. Meg yanked her from the ground, her eyes dancing over the mark on her neck, it was faint unlike when Dean had worn it.  
“Tate!” Jody called. Next she saw Claire Novak, nodded in her direction. Then Alex, who had taken the Mills last name once she moved in, similar nods in Alex’s direction. Tate stood, and smiled at them all.  
“I am here to take you all somewhere.” She smiled. “Special.”  
“Back to the bunker?” Meg asked.  
“Sort of.” Tate muttered. “Can you leave your job here, Jody?”  
“Yea, I think so, why what’s up?” Jody asked.  
“The bunker Meg is referring to, we need someone to man it, organize it. The kids, all of them would benefit from pouring into the Lore. Claire I know you wanna hunt, you too Ben. Twins I recognize the looks in your eyes, you will be hunters too. Alex I know you don’t wanna hunt, but there is a school nearby we can get you into. And little Adam, he would do well, protected. Meg you also will be much safer inside the walls of the bunker. Once more, Crowley is at odds with us. Me killing his witchy mom apparently only gave us some good graces.” Tate laughed a little. Adam was in her arms, curled to her. “I missed you too, son.” She whispered against his temple.  
“Mommy.” He fisted a little hand in her hair.  
“You taught him I was his mom?” She asked Meg.  
“No, he saw the picture of you, Sam, Castiel, and Dean. Pointed you and Dean out as his parents. Don’t have the heart to tell him it's not true.” Meg chuckled. “And he also said Castiel was his dad, where is Clarence?”  
“Locked in the bunker.” Tate muttered. “He has been through some shit.”  
“Like what?” Meg sounded concerned.  
“He was under a curse, it's still not completely off of him, to be honest.” Tate whispered. “It was my fault. All my fault, seems like that is what I am best at, destroying loved ones.”  
-/-  
Dean was furious. Suddenly, he Cas and Tate were standing in the box with Sam and Lucifer. Tate rushed forward checking Sam over, he whispered low, “We can’t win.”  
“We don’t have to love, we just have to buy some time.” Tate stood, ready to land her first bow when Lucifer chuckled.  
“Going to fight me with my own grace?” He leered.  
“No, uncle, going to fight you with something you created.” Her eyes glossed red and she surged forward, her body slammed backwards with a flick of his wrist.  
Somewhere Rowena and Crowley were working out a spell. The hard hits, were awful. Tate was face down, panting, Dean and Sam against opposite corners, while Lucifer crouched down over Castiel, his eyes dark. “Can you beat her?” Cas whispered.  
Lucifer wiggled his eyebrows, “Yes, I can.” He purred.  
“Then the answer is yes.” Light engulfed the box as the four were ejected.  
Sam and Dean shared a look, then Crowley was down there, seething. Sam muscled Tate over his shoulder. “Get the hell out.” He snarled, they retreated.  
Tate woke as they reached the parking lot. “Sammy, put me down.” She ordered, as he did she swayed a moment, her eyes linking with Cas’s. “Go on, we will meet up, got some things to do.” She whimpered.  
Cas only nodded. “We can work some things out, and meet you back at the bunker.”  
Once Sam and Dean left she whirled on him. “Cas in there at all?”  
“Well, yes, my little fox, he is, but he agreed. I am the only hope.” Lucifer purred through Cas’s body, and Tate sighed. “Don’t blow my cover.”  
“You need your grace back?” She asked, slowly and carefully.  
“Michael is dead, his soul destroyed, you can keep his, plus I’ll need the power of an archangel when we finally come to blows with Amara. Let’s go, pet, we got shit to do.” Lucifer surged forward touching two fingers to her forehead. Two things happened at once, her whole body healed, then a surge of orange light which she surmised to be his grace, it poured from her, and seemed to fill Castiel’s pours.  
She felt the band around her neck, then, Lucifer took off in his stolen body, tugging the leash that now bound her to him. “Lucifer, I will do whatever I need to to help you, as long as Cas lives through this.”  
“What is with the two of you, codependent… little brats?” Lucifer shrugged his shoulders and tugged harder.  
“Were more alike than you might think, even very similar to you.” She muttered.  
Lucifer didn’t speak as they descended the steps, didn’t bother to do much other than pull her behind him. She groaned as her converse clad feet struck the concrete steps, her pants and plaid shirt torn to hell, skin exposed, and her red locks messy.  
Crowley and his mother were still taking in the sitting room when Lucifer led her in. Crowley looked more confused by each second. “No, it can’t be.”  
Lucifer bowed in the most exaggerated fashion she had ever seen, inadvertently jerking her down as he curtsied. “Captured me a perfectly good fox, now I want a puppy.”  
-/-  
Crowley was not sure what was more humiliating. OR for that matter who should be more ashamed of their current situation. He was dressed as a tourist, shoved in a cage in the wall, collar around his neck, hands bound, and mouth gagged. Prisoner in his own damn castle. Tate, on the other hand, was barefoot, with a simple black dress on, that ended mid-thigh, and was almost backless, so her wings could flitter and flutter here and there. Her hair was braided neatly down her back in two long french braids, a diamond studded collar around her neck, chain secured to it, and to the throne that Lucifer sat atop. She had no gag, and her hands were not bound. She was however, on her knees, hands folded on her lap, face resting against his thigh as he played angry birds on his tablet.  
A group of demon lords stood before him, waiting orders. Every once in awhile Lucifer would absentmindedly rub his fingers through her red locks, and hum. “What can I do for you fine fellows?” Lucifer finally asked, standing, placing the tablet in her hands. “Don’t play, only hold - later I might have you help me get three stars on that last level though.”  
“Sir, what would you have us do, would you like reports on soul numbers?” One of male demons asked. Lucifer sighed, Tate immediately lowered her head.  
“No not really.” Lucifer grumbled.  
“Sir, -” An african american woman wearing demon started.  
“What? Questioning my judgement on keeping my pretty little pets? I happen to adore the fox, isn’t she something. And the puppy, well, once he is house trained, things will be better, but we can’t win them all.” Lucifer looked alive with positivity as he spoke.  
Crowley watched Tate watch the floor, irrational though he was, he wished she would go full fledge angel on Lucifer, but he knew that she was no match even with Michael’s grace she would never fully know how to use it.  
“HEY!” Crowley snarled.  
“I believe the puppy wants to talk.” Lucifer motioned for two demons to draw Crowley out.  
Tate looked up, her eyes wide. Crowley felt the gag removed from his mouth. “How dare you talk to your master like that.” Ah, Tate realized, Crowley was attempting to kiss Lucifer’s ass now.  
-/-  
In the morning, Crowley found himself chained in Tate’s place, at Lucifer’s feet. On the right arm of the throne, Tate sat, her knees drawn up, feet tucked under Lucifer’s butt. Chained or not, she seemed to be somewhat happier. She was showing him how to do something on the tablet. Crowley was not interested in the going ons, until he heard Castiel’s phone ring. “Hm, Sam’s calling me.”  
“We should go to them.” Tate agreed, lazily.  
“I will go to them, and you can too.” Lucifer agreed. “But you will not, under any circumstances tip them off as to who I am.”  
“I won’t, uncle.” She muttered. Crowley watched scowl on his face, as Lucifer undid her collar. Then they were gone, and Crowley felt nauseous.  
-/-  
“Hey Sammy.” Tate whispered, wrapping her arms around his middle. Soon the kids were mulling around and she was hugging them all. “So, what is the plans?” She punctuated the question with a loving kiss on Sam’s lips, tugging at his hair as she did so.  
“Well, we think we might have found something that could give up a literal hand up on Amara.” Dean explained. “Get a room.” He added under his breath. He reached for Cas, and tucked him close to him, pressing against him from shoulder to knee.  
Jody had cooked dinner and was sitting it out on the map table as they spoke. Meg was flitting around the edges of the group, her eyes dancing between Lucifer in Cas’s skin and Tate. When their eyes locked Tate whispered across the bond. Don’t tell them who he is, we have an agreement. It is for the best.  
Meg nodded her understanding, then wrapped her arms around Cas’s body like she normally would. “Clarence, I have missed you - all this saving the world stuff and whatever it is your doing with Dean - I miss when it was just us.”  
For a moment, Lucifer showed through, his lip upturned and a snarky remark on the tip of his tongue, then he smiled and kissed Meg’s head. “I will try to be more considerate.”  
-/-  
“Well, cats out of the bag, now isn’t it. Come here, fox.” Lucifer ordered, Tate immediately stood from her position by Sammy in the bunker and walked to his location. “I am going to go get your brother, come back, then Tate and I are going to deal with Amara if this hand of God shit is real.”  
Sam looked at her open mouthed, Lucifer vanished, but Tate remained rooted in spot. “Sorry, Sammy, I love you and I want to help you and Dean - but his grace, his soul left a bit of a mark inside me, and I can’t shake that. Won’t ever be able to.” She paused. “I can keep an eye on him, and keep him from destroying Cas.”  
By the time she had finished Dean and Lucifer were back. “Don’t thank him - that’s not Cas!” Sam nearly screamed at Dean. By now most of the members of the bunker were watching, concerned about the events they were witnessing. Meg had the children tucked behind her and Ben, his hand in hers.  
“Well, damn.” Lucifer snickered. “Come on, fox. Get the toy from your former master, and let’s go.” He ordered. Dean’s eyes were wide as he realized his Cas wasn’t in there.  
Tate looked like she wanted to fight it, but couldn’t stepping forward she gingerly took the chunk of wood from Dean’s hands. “It’s been used up, Uncle.”  
“One hit wonder, hm.” Lucifer sighed. Then they were gone, both Tate and Lucifer, the wooden chunk hit the floor with a resounding clatter.  
-/-  
Crowley did not like being made a fool. He was currently licking the floor clean. His floor clean. The floor to his castle, his kingdom, in front of his throne, while Lucifer stretched out, his knees over one arm, and his back resting against Tate’s knees, while she perched on the other arm of the chair. Tate was absentmindedly running her fingers through his hair, like Crowley had seen Tate do many times over to the Winchesters and Cas.  
“Comfortable as a lap dog?” He sneered at her when he could no longer take the punishment of licking his own floor clean.  
“Lapfox.” Lucifer sing-songed.  
“What?” Crowley blinked confused.  
“You are a puppy, and will someday be a dog. She is a fox. Good and fast.” Lucifer chuckled to himself.  
“Thank you for the compliment.” Tate whimpered dryly.  
“Ah, tut tut my little woman, all will be well.” Lucifer pressed his head back into her hands. “Get on with it.” He ordered. Tate rolled her eyes. “Get to licking, puppy.”  
-/-  
“So, Tate is working with Lucifer, who is inside Cas?” Merle asked over the phone.  
“Seems like it.” Sam whispered.  
“Shit, man, we are on our way to the bunker, sounds like and all hands on deck sort of thing.” Daryl said into the phone. “We have Glenn and his partner, Maggie, with us. She will be glad to see some of you, said she used to babysit for Tate, as repayment for Tate freeing her from demonic possession.”  
“Can you guys get in contact with Garth maybe?” Meg asked, looking between Dean and Sam.  
“Sure, we can stop by his place on the way down. You know they had three pups, right? He might not can leave her.” Merle spoke clearly into the phone.  
“Tell him his little wolf wife and pups can come to. We are going to need to build a united front.” Dean snapped.  
When Dean hung up the phone he looked around the bunker. “Ben, I think it is about time you and Claire started hunting some of the lower level gigs for me and Sammy. Clearly we are going to be busy the next… until this is over.”  
“Ok, dad.” Ben nodded enthusiastically.  
“Meg goes with.” Sam ordered.  
Meg raised an eyebrow. “No offense there, Moose, Squirrel, but I have not killed anything in a long ass time, since we stole the Angel tablet and Dean almost died, by Cas’s hand… when he was being controlled by Naomi… Plus who will watch the charges? Tate insisted that I raise them in her absence.”  
“Your rambling honey.” Jody squeezed her shoulder.  
“Sorry.” Meg muttered.  
“Plus, I can watch the kids.” Jody motioned to John, Dane, Adam, and Alex. “No big deal.”  
“If you're sure…” Meg muttered.  
Sam and Dean shared a look. “You can take can car in the garage except Baby.” Dean finally said, watching Meg lead Ben and Claire away to pack things for the hunt. “We need you, Jody, to take the kids and head into the archives see what you guys can hunt up about potential hands of God.”  
“Right-o.” Jody nodded, leading them away from the middle of the bunker.  
Once she was gone, Dean hit his knees. “Balthazar, Gabriel, I pray to you, wherever you are, wherever you are hiding, please come to my aid.”  
He stood, looked at Sammy, who shrugged, then both whirled when they heard the flutter of wings. “Sorry, we have not been around as much.” Balthazar started.  
“Some issues in Heaven.” Gabriel growled.  
“What kind of issues?” Sam asked.  
“Management.” Balthazar snapped.  
“What did you need?” Gabriel snarled.  
“Lucifer… is riding Cas. And he has Tate.” Dean gushed at once.  
“Castiel would have had to let him in, and Tate does nothing she doesn’t wanna.” Balthazar responded, looking between the brothers.  
“That’s not a comforting thought.” Gabriel grumbled, looking disapprovingly at Balthazar.  
“My apologize, I only meant, both in question are good at making choices. If they are backing Lucifer, then there is a reason.”  
“He might be onto something.” Sam agreed, frown on his face.  
“Your not serious right now!” Dean slammed his fist onto the table.  
“Last time we fought the Darkness, it took Lucifer, myself, Michael, and Raphael to do it. Two of those player are dead. Lucifer knows that with Michael dead in the cage, the only one who has any semblance of his powers is Tate. It’s strategic. Plus, Lucifer has the juice to bind that grace to her completely. If he does that, Tate will become a combination of demon and archangel, it’s dangerous but… smart.” Gabriel still didn’t look pleased.  
“She’s your daughter, you're okay with that?” Sam deadpanned.  
“Not really, no.” Gabriel frowned, rubbing his arms.  
“So, why are we here?” Balthazar asked cautiously.  
“Need extra eyes.” Dean explained.  
-/-  
Chuck surprised them all, appearing in the middle of Cairo, Kentucky, when the fog Amara often used spread like wildfire among its inhabitants, with his arrival the fog evaporated. He looked comfortable, for the most part, standing among the crowds of confused people. When his eyes landed on Sam and Dean they were watching him, cautiously the light from Sam’s amulet blinding. “Hello, Dean, Sam. I think we need to talk.”  
“You think?” Dean asked cautiously.  
The next second they were in the bunker. “Wow, you two brought everyone who has ever been important to you to the party, huh?”  
“Sort of.” Sam frowned.  
“I know my son is free, and I know he has my granddaughter, who is your wife - I know he rides the man you love, Dean, but I can’t and won't work with him.” Chuck sighed.  
“Should we call you God?” Sam asked, then started rambling, his discussion and questions not making much sense, considering everything.  
“Sammy, rambling.” Dean growled.  
“Just, Chuck is better. Is that Meg I see? The Dixon’s, and The Grimes?” Chuck surveyed the group. “You really have assembled the best of the best, but you're missing Rowena.”  
“Tate killed her.” Sam informed him.  
“No, Tate killed her in front of you, she and Rowena both know that Rowena can’t die. She is bound to life by a trinket Tate manufactured for her almost four hundred years ago.” Chuck laughed carefully then. “You didn’t read all of Tate’s file in the Letter’s did you?”  
“Only skimmed it.” Both boys admitted.  
“Well, she is a white witch, very powerful in her own right, before she started embracing her fairy abilities, her angel powers, or her demon charms. If we can do this, really take the battle to Amara, we are going to need to finish putting the Mark on her, she is truly the only thing alive that I can think can hold her.” Chuck explained.  
“Can we do that? With only Gabriel on our side as far as archangels go?” Meg asked, cautiously.  
-/-  
Lucifer and Tate went up against Amara, Tate was injured, and Lucifer discovered all the hand of God in the universe wouldn’t touch Amara. They were both strung up, and she tourchered them, each time she ran a knife down them, or shot them full of the emptiness she wielded, she ordered them to pray to God, but they refused time and again.  
Tate inhaled sharply, she could feel Sam, she had no clue why, and wondered if she was dying, if this was what dying would be like for her. Next to her Castiel’s body withered in pain, and Lucifer openly laughed.  
Everything they had done so far was useless. She thought of her dad briefly and shame filled her, she was working for the very person who changed the world for the worse.  
-/-  
Sam barged in, grabbing at her. “Metatron, get them down, like yesterday.”  
“Tate do you have any juice left?” Metatron asked. She nodded weakly.  
“Can the two of you power up and zap us outta here?” Sam asked, once Metatron dropped the bindings on them both. Lucifer crashed into the ground, Tate landed on top of him.  
Sam watched as Tate grabbed hard into Lucifer’s sleeve. “Guys, she's coming!” A man Tate didn’t recognize whispered.  
“She’s coming.” Metatron frowned. The next second they were in the Impala, in the bunker’s garage. Tate was out cold, and Lucifer could barely stand, but he grabbed his niece up, and forged ahead. “Shit.” Metatron whimpered, “That could have been bad.”  
“It’s about to get bad.” Lucifer snarled. “My dad’s here.”  
After careful thought, with the impending fight, Jody had taken the kids with her to one of Bobby’s many cabins. Meg, Claire, and Ben would be meeting her up there. Garth, his wife, kids, Maggie, and Glenn were headed to another one of Bobby’s cabins. The Dixon’s and Grimes’s were headed to Rufus’s cabin.  
Dean and Sam were standing in the middle of the library. Tate was laid out on the table in front of them, and Chuck was drinking coffee from his cup. He stood, lazily pressing two fingers to Tate’s forehead, her whole body glowed, then he did the same to Lucifer. “Son.”  
“Father.” Lucifer breathed.  
-/-  
Things in the bunker were growing strained, at best. Lucifer had locked himself in Ben’s room, and had turned the music up as loud as he possibly could. Tate, Sam, and Dean were standing outside the door. Tate tentatively knocked on it, “Lucifer, uncle, you can not stay in their forever.”  
“I am not coming out until he has something to say!” Lucifer roared back.  
“That’s not your room.” Dean sighed.  
“Nope, not at all.” Tate pinched the bridge of her nose. “You two go talk to Chuck. I’ll see if I can coax him out.” She offered, shooing the boys away. “Lucifer, it’s just me, come on now. If Chuck agrees, will you come out and talk?”  
The door opened slowly, and he peaked out. “I will, but mark my words, he will make some speech about how he had to do it.” Tate smiled as warmly as she could at him, then nodded.  
-/-  
“One of you is gonna have to, uh, go first.” Dean grumped as both Chuck and Lucifer sank down next to each other.  
“You know what? Uh, Lucifer, y-you, uh… you agreed to have a sit-down if… if God would show, so…” Sam tried, Tate rolled her eyes.  
“And, Chuck, you… you did say you would talk.” Dean continued.  
“Him first.” Lucifer snapped like a petulant child. “I’m the one who’s owed an explanation.”  
Chuck sighed.  
“Okay, let’s… let’s try ‘I feel’ statements.” Dean tried, Sam shot him a look, and Dean added, “Dr. Phil.”  
“Oh, yea, of course.” Sam muttered.  
“Obviously.” Tate sneered.  
“I am sorry that you feel… that i betrayed you, that i acted without cause.” Chuck paused. “I’m sorry you can’t see you gave me no choice.”  
“Really? You heard that right?” Lucifer snapped towards the trio.  
“W-we all know that you are God, um, but… maybe could you be a-a little less… Lordy?” Sam tried, his eyebrows raised.  
“But I am - I-I’m the Lord.” Chuck looked perplexed for a moment.  
“Wow. Here he goes.” Lucifer sighed, looking at Tate, she could see the pain on his face, and she wanted nothing more than to comfort her uncle.  
“I did what I had to do, To create the world. I had to lock Amara away. And when the Mark corrupted you and i saw that you posed a threat to humankind, I did the same with you.” Chuck seemed to look everywhere but Lucifer.  
“No, you betrayed me.” Lucifer snarked back, arms over his chest. “You gave me the Mark to lock her raway, and when it changed me, when it did what the Mark inevitably does… you threw me away.”  
“No, son. The Mark-” Chuck swallowed. “You always cast a jaundiced look at humans. The Mark didn’t change you. It just made you more of what you already were.”  
“What I was was your son… your child.” Lucifer looked ready to cry.  
“Why should I put you first above all others?” Chuck demanded, his voice making the trios ears hurt.  
“Do you have any idea what it’s like to argue with your father when your father is God?” Lucifer asked Sam and Dean. “Everything is a tautology with you. Everything is, because i told you so. Everything is it had to be done.”  
“Pretty sure that is all fathers.” Tate whispered under her breath.  
Chuck cleared his throat. “Ok, big picture, as god you did what you had to do. Little picture you sucked at being a dad.” Lucifer snarked.  
“Okay, maybe I didn’t handle everything perfectly, But tell me… could i have kept humankind safe with you on board? I know about your little bid to replace me with the angels. Okay, “New God”, what would you have done about you?” Chuck snarled back.  
“That’s not the point!” Lucifer almost shouted.  
“I can’t believe I’m actually about to say this but, uhm…” Sam paused, looking at Tate who nodded. “But, Lucifer is right…”  
“All he wants is an a-apology, a-and you're too concerned about being right to… to give him one.” Tate started.  
“But apologize aren’t always about being right.” Dean offered.  
“Sometimes they are just about apologizing.” Tate concluded.  
“Yeah, a-and the great thing about apologize is that you don’t have to mean them.” Sam added as an afterthought.  
“You know, I-I lie and tell Sammy I am sorry all the time.” Dean offered, pulling a face, then looked at Sam, “I’m sorry.” He paused, wiggled his eyebrows. “See?”  
“Okay, enough from the peanut gallery.” Chuck snapped his fingers and Dean and Sam were gone. “Be still, granddaughter.” Tate nodded.  
“What? What would you have done.” Chuck asked again, ignoring the three to the sidelines.  
“It doesn't matter. You were my father, and you forsook me.” Lucifer could see his father’s point. He would not have left humanity alone.  
“I did. I was supposed to love creation equally. I wasn’t supposed to have favorites. But you…” He paused. “You were mine. I gave you the Mark because I loved you the most… because I thought you were strong enough to bear it. And when i saw that i was wrong… when i watched my choice… devour my… most cherished son… i hated myself. And so I punished you, and I am so sorry.” Chuck could feel the tears on his cheeks. Before he could completely understand what was happening, Lucifer launched himself as his father, and hugged him tight.  
-/-  
Dean was sent to talk with Crowley, Tate and Castiel in his own body were sent to heaven to convince the Angel’s to fight with them, and Sam was sent after Rowean. “You know, Crowley, this would almost guarantee Lucifer would be handing the kingdom back over to you, wouldn’t it be nice, he’s probably going to get to go to Heaven after this…”  
“So, what, we band together all that we have and hope for the best?”  
“Something like that, yea.” Dean muttered.  
“Well, I can see why it would be pertinent for you to rekindle the bromance, then.” Crowley sighed, then stood. “Let’s see to it, shall we?”  
“Really?” Dean chuckled, relieved.  
\---  
Sam looked between Rowena and the other four witches in the room. “Tate is going to be fighting with all three forces, she assures me, that with a coven of your strength fighting with her, alongside her, that she will be more than able to weaken the bitch.” Sam told Rowena.  
“You blundering Moose, she and Lucifer both killed me recently. You think I want any part of that? Now get out of here before I turn you into a moose.” Rowena snarled.  
“Now hold on there, Wena. Let’s hear him out. By Tate do you mean Anastasia Dane?” One of the older witches asked, beads and sigils dangled around her neck.  
“Yes, she is my wife.” Sam offered. “Tate Winchester, these days.”  
“Tate found a husband, wow. Never thought…” One of the other witches chuckled. “The way she busted our balls back in the day, man.”  
“We all taught under her, she was basically our coven mother, there were more of us, but Rowena iced them.” A childlike witch offered the information up freely.  
“Hush.” Rowena ordered.  
“So, do all of you gain strength from her power?” Sam asked, eyeing Rowena.  
“No, why?” The older black witch asked, Cleo her name was if Sam remembered correctly.  
“Rowena borrows from her.” Sam interjected.  
“Her juice, you were going to drain her to do the spell, weren't you?” The childlike witch asked.  
“What’s it matter, worlds ending?” Rowena nearly shouted.  
“We will help you.” Cleo declared.  
“What?” Rowena did shout.  
“We can use the drain spell Tate made, years ago, we all know it, but no one has the juice to do it alone, if Tate will be active in all parts of the fight, then she will be on the playing field and can boost the spell.”  
\--  
“Why would we follow either of you? A fallen angel who lives with Lucifer inside him, no better than the devil himself, and a halfling.” A lesser angel shouted.  
“Because I plan to stand beside them, and that halfling is my daughter.” Gabriel forced an arm around her shoulder. “Is that you Cas? How’s living with my brother, it ain’t fun.”  
Cas smiled a little. “Ready for the prize fight, dad?” Tate asked cautiously.  
A angel from the back asked a simple question, “Who will wear the mark that will bind Amara.”  
“Me.” Tate puffed her chest out and held her head up.  
“You an abomination?” A third angel sneered.  
“She is the only one possible. Whoever wears it needs to have some demon in them to keep the bloodlust in check, a human component so it doesn't kill without thought, and last but not least if she is part Angel we do not have to worry about her dying, ever.” Castiel responded. “It is God’s wish.”  
“God?” The whole of the group whimpered.  
“He is back.” Gabriel smiled as he said it. “And he needs us.”  
\--  
“So the actual plan.” Tate muttered.  
“LAST time Gabriel, Raphael, and Michael rushed her, in hand to hand combat. slowing her own, then I stabbed her, then dad did his business. The blood of the person taking the mark must be mixed with amara’s.” Lucifer paused. “With Tate leading the charge, she will first guide the witches. once their attack is finished age and Gabriel will lead the angel assault, I imagine it will cost Gabriel a lot of energy to do his part. THEN tate and Crowley lead the demons. Tate will then lure Amara in, where I will stab them both, and dad can do his bit.”  
“you do realize we hate each other, right?” Rowena asked, wiggling her eyebrows.  
“YES but we hate Amara more.”  
-/-  
Everything had gone to plan. The first attack had weakened Amara but it left Rowena panting on the floor. Tate and Gabriel brought the power of the Angels down on her, Balthazar joining her with his own long warrior sword. The trio dances around her, bodies as conduits for the pure grace that heaven was sending down. When Balthazar could take no more, Gabriel grabbed him and they we're gone. Next the demons defended, whirling and howling their souls fought around her, slamming through her. Tate surged forward cutting her with the first blade, then daring inside.  
Chuck caught her as planned and when Amara entered her eyes danced between Chuck and Tate. She sauntered up, intent to kill. the moment she stopped advancing, Chuck slammed Tate into her and the blade Lucifer was wielding slammed through both women. Tate Gasped hard for air, as Chuck moved forward planting a palm on Amara’s collarbone the one of Tate’s neck. Amara's eyes we're wide with anger when she realized what was happening.  
Tate screamed in pain, her body slipping down the blade as Amara vanished. Lucifer caught her, pressing a kiss to her forehead as Chuck pulled the blade from her and healed her.  
“We did it.” Rowena cheered.  
Chuck looked sad, but then Tate hugged him and whispered. “She understands now. She loves you. I can feel her.”  
-/-  
Celebration was in order. Everyone was headed back from hiding and was ready to eat a long happy meal. Dean, Meg, and Tate we're in the kitchen working hard to make enough food for everyone.  
-/-  
Chuck was a welcome sight, after all this time. “Do we call you Chuck or God?” Dean deadpanned.  
“I prefer Chuck, these days.” He sipped from his bottle of whiskey, then looked around the bunker.  
“Glad you’re back father.” Castiel seemed to hum.  
“Not for forever, Castiel.” Chuck muttered, eyes wondering over the group before him.  
“After everything, why now, father?” Balthazar asked, eyebrows raised.  
“Not that we didn’t miss you, dad.” Gabriel added quickly.  
“Amara is gone.” Chuck responded, like that answered everything.  
“If we are naming the dead, we have a very long list.” Sam growled back, sassing God.  
“No, I… I can’t go on like this.” Chuck dismissed Sam’s grouchiness.  
“Ok?” Meg raised an eyebrow.  
“I came to offer you all something.” Chuck explained. “You could all go to heaven right now, even the children. OR you can become the Knights of Heaven.”  
“Is this a joke?” Dean snarled.  
“No, as a Knight, you would become angels, even the children, and live for as long as heaven stands. You could come and go as frequently as you wanted, all that I ask in return is that you follow the orders of the new leaders of heaven.” Chuck offered.  
“And who will lead heaven, father?” Balthazar asked.  
“You and Gabriel, my son.” Chuck responded. “You both have been doing a very good job since Naomi fell.”  
“Thank you.” Both Balthazar and Gabriel muttered, heads bowed.  
“It is the truth.” Chuck told them, then glanced around the circle. Meg, Crowley, Dean, Castiel, Sam, Tate, Ben, Dane, John, and Adam were all standing in the center of the bunker. “I do not offer this lightly, you have all helped ensure the future of my creation.”  
“What of me and Meg?” Crowley asked. “We are demons.”  
“Yes, you are, but even demons can be angels.” Chuck chuckled to himself. “For what I say is truth, and can not be undone.”  
“Let’s say for a moment we want to do this, how does it work?” Sam asked.  
“Well, Balthazar and Gabriel will continue to rule upstairs, I will come back as God only if the situation arises that an all powerful being is needed. Crowley and Meg as angels will rule Hell, it is the only way I can think to ensure that Heaven and Hell remain balanced. Lucifer has yet to find a suitable vessel, but once he does he will be here with you all. All you Winchesters, Castiel included, would of course have the ability to travel to Heaven, Hell, Purgatory, Earth, as needed to keep the world balanced. And, there happens to be two of your group that have requested to be returned to Earth from Heaven, which although is unheard of, if you all agree to be my Warrior Angels, I will have no problem bringing them back.” Chuck answered.  
“So we live forever, when the world ends, will we be welcomed into Heaven?” Tate asked.  
“Yes. You most certainly will.” Chuck informed them.  
“Who wants to come back?” Dean asked, his silence had meant at least to Castiel and Tate that he was thinking very deeply about what he was deciding.  
“Charlie and Bobby.” Chuck responded. “They want to be Earth bound Angels like you lot, and fight with you.” Chuck was twirling a cord through his fingers. “If you are willing to basically take the position the Arch angels once held, I would be more than happy to remake Charlie and Bobby’s bodies for them.”  
“Can we have a minute.” Tate asked Chuck, he nodded.  
“What do you think?” Dean asked, his eyes locked on Castiel.  
“I want to spend forever, with you, Dean. I already told you that. Either as angels, or with you in your heaven.” Castiel responded, taking his love's hands in his.  
“Sam?” Tate asked.  
“Whatever I have to do to be with you.” Sam responded.  
“Meg? Crowley?” Tate turned her attention to them.  
“Being angels would mean that Hell and Heaven would be in a perfect partnership.” Crowley asserted.  
“I wanna see my loved ones again, Tate, and they are all in heaven.” Meg said after a long moment.  
“What about you, Tate?” Ben asked.  
“I think that God couldn’t ask for better Archangels than us? Right, I mean we kick ass and take names.” Tate laughed.  
“Alright, Chuck, but.” Dean started. “Three things, we don’t wanna be called Archangels, just call us Winchesters. Second, we keep our free will and if those two idiots over there make a call we don’t agree with we have the right to say no to a mission. Third, Castiel and I want to be able to have a family. Hear me out. Sam and Tate can make more angel babies. We want…” He looked at Castiel. “We would like two daughters, made from both of us, you're the only thing I can think that can make that.”  
Chuck seemed to think about that for a moment. “I have my own condition. Two daughters and a son. I have my reasons, whether I am in charge up stairs or not, I plan to continue recording your stories. Winchester Guard it is. And I made each of you, with the idea that free will was the most important thing, especially Castiel and Tate - they are by far my most creative inventions, don’t you two thing, built long before your arrival on Earth, but created in essence to perfectly complete each of you in ways you can not even begin to phantom.” Chuck paused. “I believe Balthazar, Gabriel, it is time for you to fetch Charlie and Bobby’s souls. By the time you are back, I will have bodies ready for them.”  
Balthazar and Gabriel nodded, then took their leave. “So, three kids, we already got Ben and Adam… how many are Sam and Tate going to have?” Dean asked.  
“Up to them, free will remember?” Chuck asked, then laughed. “I will create your children in a moment.” His eyes closed and his hands worked through air.  
The group in the bunker watched, awestruck as two bodies began to construct in front of their eyes, layer after layer of genetic material, until Bobby, admittedly a younger version, maybe in his 40s, and Charlie who looked to be younger as well, probably a teenager, formed. Next his hands went to work building smaller bodies, Tate smiled to herself, as she realized they were all going to be different ages of infant. The oldest, a female, looked about two, then another female who looked to be one, then a tiny little boy body was created.  
Balthazar and Gabriel arrived, five souls carefully held between them. Chuck took first Bobby’s, then Charlie's, then the nameless three. As each little angel gasped awake, Bobby and Charlie stood. “You agreed on the warrior thing, then, you idjits.” Bobby chuckled, as Dean and Sam embraced him. Bobby’s wings looked like they belonged to a hawk.  
“I’m back, bitches!” Charlie hugged Sam and Dean next. Charlie’s wings were very steam punk, with metal and too soft yellow feathers almost braided into the white ones.  
“Each of you, stand against the wall.” Chuck ordered as Charlie, Bobby, Balthazar and Gabriel scooped up the small lives and dressed them. “I am going to touch your souls, and it will be uncomfortable, but you will have wings and Grace when I am done.”  
He started with Crowley, whose face contorted in pain, then blinding white light filled his body, when Chuck stepped away from him, blood red wings, with black tips extended from him. Next was Meg, whose wings were deep purple, with red splotches through them.  
Ben squared his shoulders, and only whined a little bit, his wings were a soft grey, with golden flakes. Dane was next, his wings only grew in length and looked more bird like than angel. John looked terrified as Chuck sunk his hand into his ribcage. Pure white feathers grew from the branches he already had as wings. Little Adam who was every bit of five these days, puffed his chest out expectantly. When Chuck moved away from him, his wings were soft robin blue.  
Tate was next, her eyes alive. “You should be the easiest, darling.” Chuck asserted, she still had residue from the borrowed graces, so he bound them and the new grace together. Her wings were forest green, with every shade of brown known to man running through them. They were easily as wide as Lucifer's would be, and her wingspan almost tripled Castiel’s.  
Sam waited patiently as Chuck stepped towards him. Both hands slipped inside, and wings seemed to form even as Chuck closed his eyes. They were dark brown, and looked more fur covered than feathered, everyone chuckled as Crowley muttered something about him being a moose.  
Castiel was next in line, earning his wings back, the beautiful solid black that were much longer than any of the others on display so far. Chuck kissed his forehead, “My son, you have exceeded expectations.”  
Then moved on to Dean. Dean’s took the longest, his soul had been fractured in places, and torn in others. His wings almost mirrored Castiel’s but favored more of a bat than a bird. “Batman.” Chuck muttered, then stepped back.  
“Creation always was my favorite thing.” He laughed openly as they stared at one another. They could all see Gabriel and Balthazar’s wings now. Longer and fuller even than Castiel’s they were pure gold, Gabriel’s were only slightly larger and longer than Tate’s. “You see, “ Chuck started. “Gabriel and Balthazar had no choice in their wings, they were mine to make. I allowed your souls to show me what your heart desired. Now I have one more favor to ask.”  
“Anything, Chuck.” Dean muttered.  
“I would like to be locked away as well. I believe Adam is the safest vessel for me to hide in. I can protect him from his memories as he grows up. I can ensure only then, equal balance in the universe.” Chuck explained. He already felt like he was asking too much of his favorite creations. These were honestly his favorite beings on the whole planet.  
For a moment no one spoke then Adam made his way to Chuck, and cupped the man's face in his hands. “OK if you need to Pawpaw.” Tate chuckled. Only a child she and the Winchester’s had raised with Meg’s help would call God Pawpaw. Chuck never moved his face from Adam’s small hands, instead as he crouched down, eyes locked on Adam’s his body glew blue. Then he was gone. Absent once more. in his place a perfect blue green mark rested on Adam's neck in the same spot the orange angry mark rested on Tate.  
Meg and Crowley left moments later, to sort through the problems they knew would be waiting for them down below. Gabriel and Balthazar led them into the garage. “This will open the portal to heaven, and if you look over there, a portal to Hell. Chuck though you lot would make the deal.”  
“See you guys for Thanksgiving, right?” Gabriel joked as he stepped into the marked spot, and blue light filled the room, absorbing him.  
“And Christmas.” Balthazar added, before stepping on to the spot.  
“What do we do now?” Ben asked, looking around the room.  
“Disney world?” Charlie asked, only to be answered with laughter.  
-/-  
Before they made it to Disney, however, they found a Vessel that was suitable for Lucifer, who had been resting in between Castiel’s body and Tate’s. The little boy inside the shell was dying from cancer, they discovered said boy was a three year old orphan, who would not be missed by anyone.  
It was Bobby who went to the orphanage, with Tate in the car, and applied for custody of the child, insuring the nuns he would get the best possible treatments, and he would - with Lucifer inside the boy would be cured.  
The little boy died peacefully on his way back to the bunker, the moment it happened Lucifer expelled himself from Tate’s body, and entered the little boy. Eyes opened and shimmered, Tate looked back and smiled at him. “Morning, Luci.”  
-/-  
Peace and Freedom, the Winchester brothers learned, had nothing to do with time and place, and everything to do with the people around them. For as long as both men could remember they had dreamed of finding absolute freedom, to be free of hunting, to be free of a father they could never please… but those thoughts were long gone, now. Absolute freedom came not from outside themselves, but in the realization that they had choices, they had love, and they had the strangest but also most wonderful family in the world.  
They grew, bringing in new members to the Men of Letters, even though the humans they knew grew old and faded, they could still be visited in Heaven or Hell, depending. Sam had even made peace with Jessica, her whole heaven was filled with happy memories of him, and her family. Dean had found he could spend hours talking with his father, now, even Sam went sometimes. Although the world changed around them, the Winchester Guard never faltered or failed. They continued to hunt monsters, but with a new distinction - only those doing evil.  
Once a month, at least, dinner at the bunker consisted of Crowley, Meg, Lucifer, Gabriel, Balthazar, Castiel, Dean, Sam, Tate, Ben, John, Dane, Adam, Mary (Dean and Castiel’s oldest daughter), Renee (Dean and Castiel’s youngest daughter), Tanner (Dean and Castiel’s youngest son), Lucy and Jessica (twin daughters of Sam and Tate), and Colten (the youngest son of Sam and Tate), Charlie, and Bobby.  
Angels or not, they made a life. They withstood the sands of time. They fought for Heaven and for Hell when it was needed, they survived. Freedom no longer a question, only the answer. And they went to Disney World, annually, even Bobby liked the rides.


End file.
